CO537-2187 — Page 216

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HONG

KONG

AIDE MEMOIRE FOR THE SECRETARY OF STATE

77

1.

The paper which was submitted to the Far East (Official)

Committee on the 11th December reached the conclusion that we

by

should not take the initiative at offer to

open with the

Chinese Government the discussions on the Leased Territories,

contemplated in 1943. The paper went on to express the view

that it would be very desirable for some reassurance to be

given in a public statement that we intend to retain Hong Kong.

In the earlier part the paper also discussed the question

of the line which should be taken in the event of negotiations

with the Chinese.

2. The above paper was a joint Colonial Office and

Foreign Office effort and the only point on which we were

not entirely in agreement on the official level was the

question whether a reassuring public statement should be made

about our intention to remain in Hong Kong. On this, both

the Governor of Hong Kong and the Colonial Secretary strongly

urged that a statement should be made as quickly as possible,

and we supported this view. The Foreign Office, on the other

hand, were doubtful as to whether the Committee should include

a recommendation on this point in the paper.

in Committe

1

3. In the course of discussion, however, the Treasury

representative, supported by representatives of other

Departments, expressed the opinion that the paper should go

further and set out the case for our retaining Hong Kong.

It was agreed that it should be revised on these lines and

in certain other respects, and that the revised paper should

be submitted to the Committee. The paper is under revision

accordingly. It is probable that in its new form it will

first of all set out the case for our retaining Hong Kong,

then deal with the question of an early public statement, and

then go on to discuss the line which should be taken in the

event of negotiations with the Chinese. In its revised form

there