CO537-2187 — Page 4

NUMBERS CONTINUED FROM 1946 FILE

76. Foreign Office

1-1-47

77. Aide Memoire for

the Secretary of State

3·1·47

78.

TS. Minute by it mayle

10.1.47

Sir Thomas Lloyd

You will recall that when the F.E.(0) Committee considered our paper on Hong Kong on the 11th December (minutes at 74) it was generally agreed that the paper should be revised in certain respects and that it should go further than the original paper and set out the case for our retaining Hong Kong.

I am afraid that owing to pressure of more urgent matters (including discussions with the Governor-designate of North Borneo) I have not been able to prepare the revised paper as quickly as I would have wished. I have, however, now completed it and sent it over to Mr. Ktson of the Foreign Office for his comments. A copy of my revised draft is at No.79 on this file and a flimsy of my letter to Mr. Kitson is at No.80.

In sending this file forward for

information, I would invite attention to my minute of the 10th January (No.78) recording a discussion which I had with Mr. Kitson of the Foreign Office and the Secretary of State's note dated 13th January attached to No.77, asking that, in view of the. constitutional difficulties in Hong Kong, the revised paper should be expedited.

You will see from the former document that Mr. Bevin had some talk with Mr. Byrnes in New York on the subject of China, as the result of which, Mr. Bevin was definitely against making any approach to the present Chinese Government on the subject of Hong Kong. It was evident from my conversation with Mr. Kitson that the Foreign Office took the view that it was not necessary to pursue the question of the future of Hong Kong any further at the moment. I, however, expressed the view in conversation with Mr. Kitson that we should wish the questions of (a) a reassuring public statement and (b) the line to be taken in the event of a Chinese approach on the subject of Hong Kong, to be submitted for Ministerial consideration as soon as possible,' and I have confirmed this in my letter to Mr. Kitson in which I have also expressed the hope that the revised paper will be considered by the Committee before the end of this month.

(Sgd.) N. MAYLE.

14.1.47.