CO537-2187 — Page 66

C.O.

REGISTERED No.

54145/47

DRAFT AND RECORD COPY

Colonial office,

SECRET

LETTER SENT

DRAFT

MR. Mayle.

Dear Scott,

MR.

Hong Kong

Church House,

135

Great Smith Street

S., 10ATE

28th October, 1947.

MR.

125)

ENCLOSURES

(130)

Future Policy

On the receipt of your letter 11771/376/G of the 1st September, I wrote a letter to MacDougall, in which, among other things, I asked for his views on the question of consultation with the Portuguese Government about Hong Kong and Macao.

I have now had a reply to the effect that they agree with our view that it would be against our interests to allow our unassailable title to Hong Kong to become linked or associated with the more vulnerable Portuguese title to Macao. The reply went on to say that these views reflect the policy consistently pursued by the Hong Kong Administration since September, 1945. The post-war attitude of Macao, as personified in private approaches by its Governor, was to insinuate that Hong Kong and Macao stood or fell together. I understand that the Governor of Maçao was firmly but politely discouraged in this and that the policy of keeping their distance is being maintained by the FURTHER ACTION Hong Kong Administration, even to the extent of

avoiding, ac far as possible,/ appearance of being linked with Macao on any issue affecting China.

Yours sincerely,

To

A.L. SCOTT, MOV

Syd (N. L. Mayle)

[4556B] Wt. 26930/440 50m. 9/45 C.N.Ld. 748