CO537-2187 — Page 133

Wt. 29446/552 9/46 50m. S. & S. Ltd.

C. O.

Mr... Hayle 24/11/1417

Sen

Mr.

Mr.

Mr.

Mr.

54145747

See

revised

draps

Permt. U.S. of S.

Parly. U.S. of S.

Secretary of State.

DRAFT. LETTER

RT. HON. ERNEST BEVIN, M.P,

FOREIGN OFFICE.

TOP SECRET

draft memorandum

FURTHER ACTION.

(97)

I have been thinking over the

letter (F.1544/376/G) about Hong Kong,

which you sent me on the 25th February,

just before you left for Moscow.

I gather that your view is that if

the question of the future of Hong Kong is

to go to Ministers, it should go direct to

the Cabinet and should not be pursued via

the Far Eastern (Official) Committee.

Further, that you wished to defer the

question whether any such submission shoul

in fact, be made until after you had

discussed policy towards China with

Mr. Marshall.

Although this matter has already

received some consideration in the Far

Eastern (Official) Committee, I certainly

see no objection to its going straight to

the Cabinet now, and, in the hope that y

were able to clear the American policy

aspect with Marshall when you were in

Moscow, I am enclosing the draft of a

paper which I would propose to put in to

Cabinet A Gentation. I should be

grateful