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HONG KONG
SECRET.
Colonial Office,
Downing Street,
June, 1939.
= 1 JUN 1939
28
sir,
2.
I have the honour to refer to your secret despatch
of the 14th of February in which you outlined the programme
proposed by the Government of Hong Kong in the matter of
passive defence measures against air attack, and set out
certain questions in regard to which you asked for advice.
Your despatch has now been considered by the
Oversea Defence Committee. The Committee have been glad
to receive the full information given in it, and appreciate
the care with which this difficult problem has been
studied in the Colony. In the following paragraphs I will
set out seriatim the Committee's views on the specific
questions raised in your despatch.
3. (a) The relative importance of precautions against
gas as compared with precautions against high explosive and
incendiary bombs.
The Committee endorse the view expressed in
paragraph 6 of your despatch that the first measures to be
undertaken should be those designed to give protection
against high explosive and incendiary bombing, anti-gas
equipment being provided only on the minimum scale for the
time being.
(b)
GOVERNOR
SIR GEOFFRY NORTHCOTE, K.C.M.G.
etc.,
etc.,
etc.