P
00058
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Top Secret
154
24th August, 1946.
52
I must apologise for the delay in answering your letter M.0.12/B/1105 of the 31st July on the subject of the Hong Kong garrison. The question raised required some consideration here, and apart from that I have been on leave for a few days.
As I understand it, the Chiefs of Staff have agreed for the present to defer consideration of the proposal to withdraw all British forces from Hong Kong, and the policy remains as luid down in COS telegram
Oz1403 of the 3rd April, namely that the garrison will remain, us now, at two brigades but be reduced to one when the police force of the Colony is fully re- established.
An
While appreciating the point that it would take some time to work out the details of a scheme for a gendarmerie to replace the troops, we feel that there are some aspects of the question of the replacement of troops by a gendarmerie which require further consideration before going into the details. appreciation has been prepared by the Hong Kong Defence Committee on certain defence questions which were remitted to them for consideration by the South East Asia Defence Committee. I enclose a copy of this appreciation which we have only recently received from the Governor of Hong Kong. (Would you please return it when you have finished with it as it is our only copy). It takes the form in part of a commentary on the Report by the Joint Planning Staff on the "Hong Kong Defence Plan" (J.P.(46)10 Final Revise) dated the 8th ..pril which was approved by the Chiefs of Staff at
You will see that the their meeting on the 11th April. Hong Kong Defence Committee do not accept the view that sporadic guerilla attacks on Hong Kong as a result of
internal
Major-General C.S. Sugden, C
CRE.
N
Please note that this cop
CO 537/1260
THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES
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