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here. "e are content to leave it to you to decide the
best method of doing this, but if possible we should like
it to be done orally.
(1) In making their appreciations, the Chiefs
of starf had it it mind that although the Communist
armies in China were greatly superior to former
Chinese armies, they were not likely to constitute
a threat of the kind which would develop if a major
power such as Russia attacked the Colony.
(ii) The British community in Hong Kong felt
great uncertainty about the United kingdom Government's ultimate intentions in regard to the Colony and the
morale of the Chinese in Hong Kong was low. In these
circumstances the Governor of Hong Kong and the
Commissioner-Ceneral in South-East Asia hac urged
that the United kingdon Government should go as far
practicable as possiblee in the direction of declaring their
intention to protect Hong Kong. Any suggestion that
the United Kingdom Covernment might abandon Hong Kong
would have obvious repercussions in Malaya, Siam and
Burma.
(iii) The advice that Hong Kong could not be held
against attack by a major power operating from the
mainland could not be ignored. It was felt that the
United Kingdom Government must avoid drifting into a
position in which, after pouring valuable resources into Hong Kong, they had at the end to withdraw with great material loss and loss of prestige. The aim should be to reinforce the defences of the Colony for the purpose of protecting it against present dangers,
but/