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responsibility of deciding what clai s
muste met, and what rejected, on purely
legal grounds, would rest on the Hong Kong
Government and that there would be no case
for asking the Service Departments to
accept liability.
5. We are not, however, yet in a
position even to consider approaching the
Treasury formally on those lines, as the
actual amount of the liability is not yet
known. In the meantime I suggest
we reply to Hong Kong as in the enclosed
draft despatch, which is of course very
guarded on the subject of possible further
belp from H.M.C. !
6. I am sending a copy of this
letter to Severs (Admiralty), Cairns,
Robertson, (ar of ice) Warran (Air
Ministry) and Mitchell (Ministry of
Transport).