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Extract from minulls & 65th meeting of J.1.C. (Directors) held on 1.7.49
HONG KONG INTELLIGENCE ORGANISATION
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54247/18/49
(Previous Reference: J.I.C. (49) 62nd Meeting, Minute 1)
SIR PERCY SILLITOE said that a telegram had been received from the Governor of Hong Kong welcoming his visit to the Colony. The Secretary of State for the Colonies was approaching
the Prime Minister for his permission accordingly.
He would like guidance from the Committee in regard to the line they wished him to take as to the overall intelligence organisation in Hong Kong as opposed to the specific points with which he would be dealing.
MR, HAYTER said that the Committee did not wish to force on the Governor any formal intelligence organisation to which he would be opposed. They wished however to ensure that, provided the Governor agreed, some kind of machinery was set up to enable the higher authorities in Hong Kong to obtain a balanced appreciation of intelligence from all sources. This would necessitate machinery for co-ordinating all the available intelligènee and ensuring that everyone concerned supplied the intelligence they received to that machinery. The details would have to be worked out in Hong Kong.
There was general agreement that this statement met the requirements of the Committee.
THE COMMITTEE:-
(1) Invited Sir Percy Sillitoe to bear their views in
mind in his discussion with the Governor and others in Hong Kong.
SIR PERCY SILLITOE asked if the Commander, British Forces, Hong Kong, would be informed of his visit.
In discussion it was agreed that the Colonial Office should suggest in the telegram in which they replied to the Governor's telegram about Sir Percy Billitoo's visit that both telegrams should be shown to the Commander, British Forces, Hong Kong.
THE COMMITTEE:
(11) Invited the Colonial office to suggest to the
Governor of Hong Kong that the Commander, British Forces, Hong Kong, should be informed of Sir Percy Sillitoe's visit accordingly.
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MR. HAYTER commented on the failure of the Joint Intelligence Committee (Far East) and Security Intelligence Far East to - recognise the importance of certain captured documenta which had shown that it was unlikely that Hong Kong would he attacked in the near future. These documents had been sent back by diplomatic bag and in his view their contents should have been telegraphed.
SIR PERCY SILLITOE said that he would raise this point either with the Special Commissioner in South East Asia while in Hong Kong or else with the Joint Intelligence Committee, Far East in Singapore on his return journey.
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