CO537-3707 — Page 220

ANNEX

Copy of a minute (reference C.O.S. 759/7/5/8) dated 7th May, 1948, from General Hollis to the

Minister of Defence

236

The Chiefs of Staff have recently been asked by the Colonial Office for their views on a Chinese request to exercise jurisdiction in Kowloon City.

2.

Before the last war both the Admiralty and the War Office had expressed the view that the exercise of Chinese jurisdiction in Kowloon City would be inconsistent with the military requirements for the defence of Hong Kong. This claim has again been ventilated by the Chinese and the Colonial Office wish to know if the Chiefs of Staff think that, under present conditions, it would be inconsistent with military requirements for the defence of Hong Kong for the Chinese to exercise jurisdiction in Kowloon City. In seeking the views of the Chiefs of Staff, the Colonial Office sent them a brief historical note, which is attached at Annox with the request that it be submitted to you in due course.

3. The Chiefs of Staff, after consulting the British Defence Co-ordination Committee, Far East, who in turn consulted the Hong Kong Local Defence Committee, consider that if Chinese jurisdiction was given, even for a small arca of Kowloon walled City, it would facilitate the organisation of anti-British activities. The area under Chinese jurisdiction would probably become a rallying point for Chinese nationalism from which active measures to return the whole Colony to China would be directed.

The Chinese can always organise and inspire trouble as free citizens of Hong Kong, and they enjoy the exceptional advantage of entering and leaving the Colony without formality. These privileges are liable at times to be embarrassing, but so long as full jurisdiction can be retained over our own territory, control can be exercised to the extent deemed necessary,

4. Any transfer of jurisdictional duties in aid of a civil power would encourage espionage and sedition and little or no control could be exercised over the native Press.

5.

The British Defence Co-ordination Committee consider, and the Chiefs of Staff agree, that it would be inconsistent with military requirements to accede to the Chinese request.

6.

I attach for your consideration a draft letter to the Minister of State for Colonial Affairs.

not attached

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