54126/6/49
18th June,1949.
15
6
Dear Sir Robert,
You wrote to Fitzgerald on the 19th May on the question of claims in respect of loss of vessels in Hong Kong, and I informed you in reply that the documents had been forwarded to the Admiralty for the necessary action.
2. I am afraid there has been some misunderstanding on our part, as I now learn that the whole question of loss of vessels has been the subject of considerable correspondence with the Goverment of Hong Kong, and that Mr.Creech Jones hopes to send a despatch to the Governor in the near future dealing with all aspects of the question. Until the Governor receives that despatch, he may be in some doubt as to the exact procedure to be followed, and that is probably the reason why you have received no final answers to the communications which I see you sent to the Colonial Secretariat on 1st August, 1947.
3. The problems raised by these claims are, as you will realise, proving exceedingly difficult to resolve, and the absence of a local war risks insurance scheme prior to the war and of a war damage compensation scheme since the liberation or the Colony, increase the difficulties in finding a satisfactory solution. It would be wrong of me, therefore, to hold out hope of an early decision on the claims. In any event the matter can only be dealt with in Hong Kong as there are no detailed records in the
Admiralty
Sir Robert llo Tung.