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restrictions. Further information is given in the enclised Terms and Conditions of supply of National Archives' leaflet
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1.
For Chiefs of Staff.
X F
25th February, 1946.
It is evident that a considerable period of time must elapse before conditi..ns in Hong Kong can reach anything approaching stability. Whatever therefore the final policy for the defence of Hong Kong, it will be necessary to make special provision for the interim period which lies ahead when any failure to maintain law und order would place a strong weapon in the hands of the Irredentists in China.
2.
Apart from theatre strategic consideration the following local factors are likely to influence military requirements
(a)
the inadequacy of the locally recruited' police who will not be fully manned and trained before the End of the year and who anyhow may be susceptible to Chinese pressure
(b) the greatly increased security burden which results from the general dislocation and unsettled conditions inevitable after enemy occupation, now fall to the military
(c) the economic distress which must remain
until trade and employment return
(d) the "open" frontier which allows the free passage of large numbers of undesirables attracted to Hong Kong by the relatively higher standard of living
and security which prevails here
(e) the continued movement of large numbers
of Chinese troops through the colony
(f)
the prospect of the repatriation through Hong Kong of some 80,000 Japanese prisoners of war from South China
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