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ascertained that they do not wish to comment on the contents of the draft. They feel however that the publication of the 1949 and this despatch will give the Chinese further opportunity for anti-British propaganda and that in view of the very disturbed conditions in the Far East they consider that a reply should not be sent for the present. I pointed out that the present draft did not mean that any immediate changes would be made and that even when the revised proposals were received officially from Hong Kong, several months must elapse before the instruments etc. could be prepared.
I understand, however, that the Foreign Office are considering putting up a draft letter to Sir W. Strang to send to Sir T. Lloyd suggesting that the Governor should again be asked whether in the altered circumstances it might not be preferable after all to delay the reply to the 1949 despatch.
In this connection para. 3 of the note of the meeting at (28) and 'X' of my minute of 7th July show that the Secretary of State was inclined to think that the decision about constitutional reforms should be left until the F.E. situation had cleared somewhat.
In (54) we had promised the Governor a reasonably early reply. In view of the F.0. attitude should we now inform the Governor that the reply may be delayed a little?
Theme spoken the Shattuck
Mohall
22. 12. 50.
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IBA
26/12
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62
J.SH Shattock FO
FC 10117/2
28/12/5
As forecast in my minute of 22/12 the F.0. do not wish to comment on the proposals as such but consider it is undesirable to take steps which "is virtually certain to provoke a propaganda attack at a time when the Far East situation is particularly serious; and, moreover, to give them a handle on a matter regarding which they have been noticeably silent in recent months."
The F.0. have been looking at this from the Far East point of view. There is, however, the question of P.Q.s in the House. It is very likely that the Secretary of State will be asked what progress has been made in considering these reforms and the truthful answer would have to be that he did not think the present was a suitable time to carry them out. If the Communists were looking for propaganda such an answer might en- able them to undermine morale in Hong Kong by saying that H.M.G. were afraid to do anything because of the uncertainty about the
/future
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