Đang hong
Copy to British Ambassador, Shanghai.
63852/38 (35)
53852/58 (19)
56852/58
त
Aned
(26)
-031
Leeas
copy
B.T.
SECRET
My dear moore,
Government House,
6th January, 1939.
I have not hastened to answer your letter
or October 4th because with the fall of Canton and the
subjection of much of the Kwangtung Province to the
Japanese it is, I fear, probable that we have 'missed
our market', to which danger my letter of August 4th
addressed itself. Nor would I re-cpen the matter now,
vital though it is tc this Colony, were it not firstly
for two or three points arising out of the record of
the meeting of August 26th which call for comment and,
secondly, because even now it may not be too late.
2.
For the purpose of this letter i will
assume that my main point is accepted, viz. that from
the economic stand-point Hong Kong cannot continue to
exist as an independent British Colony after 1997, unless
British tenure over a considerable part of the New
Territories is substantially extended in terms of time.
If there is room for doubt there I beg that I may be
informed of the points to which doubt applies and I will
amplify my arguments if I can.
3. Rather I take it that the economic stumbling-
block is whether
to quote Mr. Wardley's conclud ing
remark - "the commercial importance of Hong Kong would
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