00245
ence Sub-Committee
.anning Staff to examine
by the Commander-in-
g Kong, with a view
ong Kong, and commenting 'ganisation included
ecommendations.
Our
no nation except
ong Kong from British
ght give China
er the Colony.
t mounting an attack
success in the
pan.
posal are estimated
nd is never likely
1 2
Ref.:
CO 537/1260
THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES
N
restrictions. Further information is given in the enclosed "Terms and Conditions of supply of National Archives' leafel
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
resent day Chinese
y the Americans.
They are
ld and medium
Some captured
o armoured
Air support
cd, and
some form of
00248
CO 537/1260
THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES
restrictions. Further information is given in the enclosed Terms and Conditions of supply of National Archives' leaflet.
that this copy is supplied subject to the National Archives' lerms and conditions and that your use of it may be subject to copyrigh
(c) Air Force
It is estimated that, et present, China has available 400 first line aircraft to which total are being added approximately 400 Jepunese and at least 300 modern American planes. Severe limitations would be imposed on their operational use by poor servicing, once american supervision is withdrawn. It is considered that, under these conditions, air support for military operations could not be sustrined but would be limited to sporadic raids. The danger of mining by aircraft is considered small.
POLITICAL FLOTORS
5. The declared policy or the Central Government is to recover Hong Kong by diplomṛtic means. This policy has been maintained since Japen's surrender, and was reaffirmed by Chiang Kai-shek in a speech on 24th August, 1945.
Past experience and present indications suggest, however, that the Chinese will not confine themselves to purely diplomatic means in bringing pressure to bear for the recovery of Hong hong. T'or example, a propaganda campaign to recover the colony for China has already been experienced in a mild form, and has recently been reinforced by a press agitation arising out of the displacement of Chinese from the site of a new airfield in the New Territories. It is considered that the campaign will be maintained and intensified by the Central Government ns a natural prelude nnd adjunct to pressure by diplomatic mens for the recovery of the Colony. This pressure is likely to be directed in the first plece against the New Territories, a formal claim for whose retrocession is to be expected in the near future.
POSSIBLE FORES OF ATTACK,
6. (A) Direct assault by land on the Frontier
of the New Territories.
(B) Ineffective air raids on Port or Military installations, which may, however, have some effect on civilian morale.
(c) Individual raids by pirates for personal
gain.
►
(P) Sporadic Guerilla attacks as the result
of internal unrest or civil war in China.
(E) Infiltration of large numbers of agents
into the Chinese population to organice strikes, civil unrest and boycott.
(F) Interruption of food and other supplies
to the Colony from China, to lend weight to the political campaign for recovery of Hong Kong.
-6-
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