CO537-(1262-1649) — Page 967

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CO 537/1649

THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES

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restrictions. Further information is given in the enclosed Terms and Conditions of supply of National Archives' leaflet Please note that this copy is supplied subject to the National Archives' terms and conditions and that your use of it may be subject to copyright

? Costui) 68

6.

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6. FUTURE DEFENCE POLICY FOR HONG KONG

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0.0.8.(46) 275 (0)

THE COMMITTEE considered a letter from the Colonial Office, saying that they were preparing, in conjunction with the Foreign Office, a joint paper on the future of Hong Kon, for submission to the Far Eastern (Official) Committee, and that if the Chiefs of Staff approved, they proposed to include a reference to the defence factor of Hong Kong. The Colonial Offico had inserted a draft paragraph.

SIR RHODERICK MCGRIGOR suggested that an addition to the draft paragraph might be made in the sense that Hong Kong might be required for a naval and air base in the future, and that if this was so, mobile defences would be introduced at short notice.

Both SIR WILLIAM DICKSON and LIEUT.GENERAL SIMPSON circulateă umenâments to the paragraph, which greed with that proposed by the Vice Chief of Naval Stuff.

In discussion, it was agreed that in answering the Colonial Office, the following points should be mude:-

(a) that their paragraph should be amended on

the lines agrood in discussion;

(b) it should be requested that for runsons of

sucurity, the joint paper should have a vory limited circulation;

(c) that the Chiefs of Staff attached great importance to Service representatives secing the quotation as it appeared in the final paper, us it might appear to have a different muuning in the paper if taken out of its context.

THE COMMITTEE:-

'X'

Instructed the Secretary to inform

Colonial office of their views on lines of 'X' above.

the

the

+ Annex IV (to follow)

-8-

RECEIVED

28 NOV 1946 CO. REGY.

2

cms

CO 537/1649

Ins

Ref.: restrictions. Further information is given in the enclosed Terms and Conditions of supply of National Archives' leaflet Please note that this copy is supplied subject to the National Archives' terms and conditions and that your use of it may be subject to copyright