Cypher/OTP
46
POLITICAL DISTRIBUTION
FROM NANKING TO FOREIGN OFFICE
Sir R. Stevenson.
No. 65.
18th January 1948.
Repeated to Hong Kong, Saving,
D. 12.09. p.m. (18th)
anuary 1948.
R. 2. 5. p.m. 18th January
1948.
(22)
??
Addressed to Foreign Office telegram No. 65 January 18th repeated to Hong Kong Saving.
48
My telegram No. (58) paragraph 5.
In discussing with me the settlement of dispute about walled city area on January 19th 1948, the Minister for Foreign Affairs put forward the following development proposal to turn it into a public park.
2. He suggested that it should be a garden open to the public and not (repeat not) enclosed by a wall. There should be erected in it one building which should be the office of the Commission for Foreign Affairs of the provinces of Kuangtung and Kuangsi [gp. undec.] any necessary police or guards or park-keepers would be furnished by the Hong Kong Government. The cost of constructing the garden and building the office would be for later discussion, though presumably office would be a Chinese Government liability.
3. I promised to consider this suggestion. It seems to me that if it would facilitate a prompt settlement of a question in which the Chinese believe (however erroneously) that their case is good, it is worthy of serious consideration. It has the obvious disadvantage of placing the Chinese Government's representatives office a long distance from the Hong Kong Government's offices, No doubt the Governor of Hong Kong will have views on the feasibility as well as the desirability of the proposal
4. I have sent a minute to the Governor of Hong Kong on the foregoing which will be in his hands today January 18th.
5. Alternative suggestion of erecting a Chung Shan hall on the site has also, I understand been tentatively considered in Hong Kong. This seems to be in some ways preferable in view of the associations of Sun Yat-sen with Hong Kong but I do not know if Hong Kong Government would wish to put it to the Chinese as counter proposal.