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CO 537/1261

THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES

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aller

Permt. U.S. of S.

Parly. U.S. of S.

Secretary of State.

VED -QJCT 1948

c.b.h.GL

944 Bet. 1946

For Colonel Chalmers' signature.

Deer Wallaby

We have now been able to examine

the latest revise of the draft Paper by

the Joint Planning Staff on the future

garrison of Hong Kong (No.JP(46)179(0),

and we think it may be of assistance to the

Joint Planners to have a statement of the

view we take about the proposal that a

local militia or gendarmerie might be

raised in Hong Kong to replace at some

future date the British garrison.

This suggestion originated with

the War Office. It has never been

communicated to, or considered by, the

Hong Kong Government, the Hong Kong Defence

Committee, or the British Defence

Committee in South East Asia. We are

Ally aware of the difficulties with which

the War Office are faced in regard to man-

power and of course raise no objection whatever to the proposal being considered

on its merits at the appropriate time. But in the absence of consultation with

local civil and military authorities we do not futabato,

cannot go further than that, and do not

fael able to commit ourselvɗa to the

acceptance of the proposal at this stage

we shine an

/even

P.to

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even in principle.

On the question whether the present is an appropriate time to take the matter further, we have little to add to my letter of the 28th September.

It has been urged by the Hong Kong Defence Committee and the British Defence Committee, S.E.A., that for the present a British garrison is essential because of the risk of attack by Chinese war lords or. guerillas, and this view, we understand, the Joint Planners are prepared to accept. It seems to us quite impossible to foresee how matters will develop in China or to form any estimate of the time when it . may be possible to discount the threat of large scale

When attack on Hong Kong from the Chinese mainland.

that time arrives, the internal situation in Hong Kong itself may be quite different from what it is today.

constes

a

In

all the circumstances we do not feel that, aproposal to raise à militia or gendarmerie to take the place of the British garrison fally within the scope of practical issue

a consultations on polities, and it seems to us that any discussion of this

WALES SEMME no useful paura pasme. project at the present time would be divorced from

realities.

how

On a minor purnt, the refermer to discussime about the

We adhere therefore to the view that no useful frmation of a gondomair beare continual batter at wo pupose would be served by discussions between the

and t Co. (puse you (b(9) and 17 (4)) is not sing really War Office and the Colonial Office on the preparation

acemalt, de Sant Discussions hauen not beam begun of plans for the formation of a' gendarmëriê, which in

fest-have not yet begun.

We assume that the conclusion in paragraph 16(a) that the garrison of Hong Kong should consist of a British force until the security of the Colony can be assured by

(62A)

a gendarmerie was not intended to involve any departure from the corresponding conclusions in paragraph 11(a) and (b) of the previous draft, namely that in view of the recommenda- tions of the South East Asia Defence Committee it should be accepted in principle that a garrison of one British

brigade

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