To make any statement would in fact appear to the Chinese to be out of context, and it might provoke an out-burst which would be bound to affect adversely our relations with China at a time when we are anxious to exert our influence upon her not to throw in her lot with the Soviet Union and to agree to United States proposals for a Japanese peace settlement.
A further consideration is that we should almost certainly receive no support from the Americans if we made a statement about Hong Kong and if the Chinese appealed to the United Nations, they would, as indicated in the press extract enclosed in your letter, doubtless receive considerable support.
To the investor either Hong Kong must seem an acceptable risk or not. If it is not acceptable, then we think His Majesty's Government would be unwise to try to make it so by offering perpetual guarantees which we are not in a position to implement, since no Government of this country, of whatever political complexion, can be expected to commit its successors (again of whatever complexion) to a course of action in international affairs which might be actually embarrassing, if not dangerous, to the United Kingdom at some unforeseen time in the future. Nor would the investor bless the Government of to-day for giving him an assurance by which in the future they may not
/ be