INWARD TELEGRAM

TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE COLONIES

AMENDED COPY (corrections in para. 2) Cr(OT, F.)

TIAS

FROM HONG KONG SAP A.Grantham)

IMPORTANT

D. 22nd Februszy, 1948. R. 22nd

07.00 hrs.

NOx 214 Scores

Addressed to 3. of B.

Repeated to British Ambassador Nanking, No.53.

1.71

Kowloon City.

Proposal of Chinese Government as contened in

113 Ambassador's telegram to the Foreign orrios, I regarded as quite

unacceptable, It would be e couplets defeat for us and sould be regarded by local Chinese and suropean opinion sa congrate evidence that it was the policy of H.H. Government to retura Hong Kong to China as soon se the Chinese Goverïment preseed them to do 80.

/and my

position

is being ateadily under.. mined.

113

129

Presence 02

On 13th February, a representative Zvom Po on District Office appeared at Kowloon Clly and told squattare still there to re-erect their huts. This they are beginning to do which brings this Government into contempt My position is based on declaring Kowloon City part and parcel of the Oolony and now it 16 common knowledge that I am not, vepoat not, in fact s-exercising

authority in the artë. representative is also violation of undertaking given by Minister for Foreign Affairs to the Ambassador regarding * Toloase

missione (ses paragraph 4 of Ambassador's telegram Ro.116 to the Foreign office). This continued failure of the Chinese Ünverument to zacpond to our gesture regarding the release of the two men would seam to indicate that tactics of the Chinese Gotormont are to continue to aggravate the situation whilst extorting one concoesion after another from us until we finally accept a settlement that would be a Chinese victory with serious effect on responsible Chinese opinion in

3.

If we are driven off Garden of Remembrance proposal as originally put forward in Foreign Office telegram No.115 to Ambassador, we shall presumably bare to retreat to the Consulate compound idea on which I have expressed my views in my

te

109 telegram to you lio.147. A further result of auch an agreement

would be that squattere would be left in possession and aquatters problem left unsolved unless the Chinese Government took eotion to move the aquatters without delay and in advance of their creating Consulate which they might well delay indefinitely.

If agreement has to be made on these lines, I endorse (a),(b) and (a). of peragraph 4 of Aubassador's telegran

4.

173

No.181/

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