to denauer the teams of reference to the Law Officers
The draft
t
wordendes
scammed x it wo
المصنفة
go ahead with the reference wrespective negotiation's which might to proceed
of any negotiations
in the meantime in incant to the terms
235 Foreign Office
M. Parkin,
7/5/46 -$.6504/ 154/10
terms of the
6-5-48
I think that this fresh approach by the Chinese in No. 233 indicates a desire on their part to go some way to meet us. As Mr. Roberts-Tray points out in his minute of the 4th May, there are practical difficulties in the proposal, and I entirely agree with the view expressed at "X" in the concluding paragraph of that minute.
As regards "Y" of his minute, I do not think that the New Hebrides situation really affords a satisfactory precedent, since that arrangements is, as I understand it, part of an accepted "treaty" arrangement between ourselves and the French Government under the Condominium Agreement. Whether or not it would be desirable to import such an arrangement into Hong Kong is a matter on which we clearly must have the Governor's advice in the first instance I think.
Since No. 233 has been received No. 234 has been added, in which the G.H.., Far East Land Forces, take the strongest possible objection to allowing the Chinese to exercise jurisdiction in Kowloon, and they clearly have the Kowloon incident matter in mind I think.
I think that we should now telegraph top secret to the Governor, giving him the text of the enclosures to No. 233 as part II of the telegram; commenting on the points made by r. Roberts-Wray (omitting the reference to the New Hebrides); emphasising the point at "X" in Mr. Roberts- Wray's minute; asking for the Governor's observations in general and referring, in this connection, to the telegram at No. 234, of which a copy has gone to Land Forces, Hong Kong.
236
Extract from minuter
237 Minister of Defence
238 Beckett (PA)
8.5.1948.
ཆ་།
c.o.s. meeting
8.5.48
8.5-48
19/4
}
Page 10Page 11