17
x
Y
not only withe transfer 1 Bitch
be Hnitory
of 157 will be enough, and he would prefer to be authorised to go as far as to use this formula without the last six words of the paragraph (viz. omitting "during the currency of the Lease".) This would mean that we should tell the Chinese that we should be prepared to offer as our special contribution to the post-war system in the Far East our readiness to consider with the Chinese what should be the future status of the New Territories; the Chinese would naturally and rightly take this to include the possible premature relinquishment to China of our lease of the New Territories.
I am inclined to think that the Chinese (as the Ambassador in fact suggests) have their eye on the whole Colony of Hong Kong and not merely that mainland bit of it which is the New Territories, and further that it would suit us to insist on the island and the mainland being regarded as one and indivisible, for there would be practically no value in our retaining the island and the tip of Kowloon only, where we should be exposed in fact to every sort of tail-twisting and effective obstruction from any Chinese authority in possession of the New Territories. Humiliation would, according to the Chinese method be heaped upon humiliation for us, and eventually we should find ourselves saddled with a sort of place like Macao. I should, therefore, be in favour (as we contemplated in the original memorandum which we discussed with the Foreign Office) of converting the Foreign Office formula in paragraph 3 of 157 to make it refer to Hong Kong as a whole, viz. "we should be ready in such circumstances to consider with the Chinese Government what should be the future status of Hong Kong." I think that would certainly require the approval of the War Cabinet specifically, and if the Secretary of State were to approve our going so far as that it should be put to the Foreign Office with the qualification that it should receive the
under contemplatim approval of the War Cabinet before being adopted in but the wobe
the crews of the
instructions to the British Ambassador.
Defne Since Depts
To be given full
opportunity of being
сия
considered.
En Gant.
16.12.42.
ว
A. in 163 is as far as 1` Parthing I were able tindence the F.O. 10go. See ti farthin's minds of 9/x11.
I think it is the best we can expect to get.
рот
I tried to get
get the omission I and. our pount of View better", because I think the first "improvement"
in para 2. 9163 is better from the Kenya point of view.
view
g
Butish interests in
But from the fount I China the second improvement" is considered better.
w season advantage in
I see
Due to
in offering
further objection.
81.17-12
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