CO537-2188 — Page 146

DRAFT AND RECORD COPY

REGISTERED No.

LETTER SENT

54345/4/47

BOFT

MR. Galsworthy.

MR. Mayle

Colonial Office

Downing Street,

3. W.1.

DATE

4th July, 1947.

MR.

ENCLOSURES

copy of despatch to H.K. No.222

FURTHER ACTION

Constitutional changes in Hong Kong

I think you will like to have the enclosed copy of the Secretary of State's despatch to Hong Kong io.222 of 3rd July, which leaves by to-day's air mail.

We made one last minute change, in agreement with Young, to paragraph 3(g) of the despatch. I think you will agree that it is an improvement on the wording of the final draft enclosed in Seel's letter of the 25th June.

We are telegraphing to MacDougall, explaining that it has been decided that Young's despatch No.145 shall not be altered or amended in any way prior to its publication with the Secretary of State's reply. We are also asking him to let us know, on the receipt of the Secretary of State's despatch, when he proposes to arrange for the two despatches to be published in Hong Kong so that we can arrange for copies to be placed in the Library of the House of Commons on the same day and for a Parliamentary Question and Answer, drawing attention to them, and also for copies to be made available to the Press.

To

SIR ALEXANDER GRANTHAM, K.C.M.G.

[4264A) Wt. 11439/415 50m. 5/45 C.N.Ld. 748