CO537-2190 — Page 13

Cypher/OTP

FROM NANKING TO FOREIGN OFFICE

Sir R. Stevenson.

No. 1137.

December 10th, 1947.

DEPARTMENTAL NO.1.

D. 1.16.a.m. December 10th,1947.

R. 2.38.a.m. December 10th,1947.

Addressed to Hong Kong, telegram No. 337, repeated to the Foreign Office.

My telegram 336 Kowloon evictions.

Minister for Foreign Affairs summoned me to-day and made an appeal to Hong Kong Government to do what they could to avoid action which might possibly disturb relations between Hong Kong and China.

2. He went back as far as the Japanese surrender to demonstrate that his own policy had always been directed towards avoiding trouble over Hong Kong. He even went so far as to inform me that legal experts of the Chinese Government held the view that as a result of the 1943 Treaty inhabitants of the leased territory were no longer subject to foreign control. He emphasised, when I took him up on this point, that he merely told me of this legal opinion by way of background. He certainly had no intention of raising the whole of the Hong Kong issue at the present moment.

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3. I then did my best to put the matter into its correct perspective. I told them that the action intended by Hong Kong authorities was a purely administrative measure to protect inhabitants of Kowloon from the spread of disease and the risk of fire. went on to say bluntly that in my view Hong Kong authorities would not be justified in deferring action against these illegal squatters in view of their responsibility for the welfare of the rest of the city's inhabitants.

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4. The Minister for Foreign Affairs tried to dodge this issue by maintaining that the end did not always justify the means and went on to say that any Government even when dealing with the people of its own race would be liable to have trouble in a matter of this kind and he had therefore telegraphed on December 8th to the Governor of Kwangtung asking him to do all he could to

Furthermore prevent popular agitation over this matter.

he was sending Mr. T.W. Kwok back to Hong Kong by first available aircraft to assist in dealing with the impasse.

5. I said I thought action by Hong Kong authorities was imminent and might even be taken

/before