54126/14/5
9/3
Dear Harvey,
43 14
The Church House,
Great Smith Street,
LONDON, S.W.1.
25
July, 1950.
Please refer to your letter of the 17th July and our telephone conversation of the 21st July. I understand that the enquiry about the stores arose during the course of a visit to Hong Kong by Bowden during last April. If this is correct
I think the stores are covered by the Financial Settlement between His Majesty's Government and the Hong Kong Government which was negotiated in early May this year and in which the Hong Kong Government credited His majesty's Government with a certain sum of money in respect of a group of stores, rice, etc., supplied during and after the period of British Military Administration.
I suggest therefore that you reply to Hong Kong saying that you know very little about these trans- actions but your enquiries for the Colonial office lead you to understand that the items in question were probably covered by the terms of the recent Imperial Settlement between His Majesty's Government and the Hong Kong Government.
Yours sincerely,
H. HARVEY ES....,
for (H. P. Hall)
CROWN AGENTS FOR THE COLONIES,
4 MILLBANK,
3.4.1.