18
P.M. (49) 32
TOP SECRET
PRIME MINISTER
Hong Kong
Command and Government
In accordance with the conclusions reached at our meeting of the 1st June I have prepared the annexed draft telegram, to be sent by you to the Minister of Defence, before he reaches Hong Kong, containing the text of the instructions to the Governor as to his relations with the new Commender of the land, air and local naval defence forces in Hong Kong.
These instructions have been agreed, in draft, with General Festing and with the Chiefs of Staff.
In the first three paragraphs of the draft telegram to the Minister of Defence I have set out the matters which we wish him to explain to and discuss with the Governor.
Paragraph 2 of the draft telegram departs from the last sentence of the record of our meeting (immediately before the Conclusions), in which it was indicated that it would not be necessary for the Governor to communicate the terms of these new instructions to his Executive Council. The reason for this departure from the record is that, when the dreft was discussed with General Festing he expressed very strongly the view that the new instructions should be communicated in strict confidence to members of the Executive Council. As 0.0.C. in Hong Kong in 1945 and 1946, General Festing had himself been a member of the Executive Council for 9 months immediately after the restoration of civil goverment in Hong Kong; and, from his experience during that
/period,