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secret cypher telegram SECRET CYPHER

WARNING The text of this message must be thoroughly paraphrased if it is to be published or otherwise communicated to persons outside the British or U.S. Government Service. If re-transmitted unparaphrased, the originator must mark it to be sent in " O.T.P.” (One-Time Pad).

I 1138 TOO 291500

TOR 3011122

IMMEDIATE

From: G... Far East Land Forces

To : Ministry of Defence, London

Info: Land Forces Hong Kong

SEACOS 851

From: FEDSEC

For : Chiefs of Staff.

29th April, 1948.

Local Defence Committee.

From: British Defence Co-ordination Committee

Far East.

We have considered in conjunction with the Hong Kong Local Defence Committee the military implications of permitting the Chinese to exercise jurisdiction in Kowloon City. We are most strongly of the opinion that if Chinese Jurisdiction was required even for small area of Kowloon Walled City we should have in our midst a place from which trouble would be organised and inspired and it was for this very reason that in 1899 the military commander found it necessary to demand that the whole city be brought under British jurisdiction. Under Chinese jurisdiction Kowloon City would become a rallying point for Chinese nationalism and the starting point for more active measures to return the whole colony to Ching. The Chinese och always organise end 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 embarassing but so long as we can retain full jurisdiction within our own territory we can exercise control to the extent deemed necessary. If there was any transfer or jurisdiction, duties in id of the civil power would be much embarasscd sspionage and sudition would be much fac- ilitated and deliberate misinterpretation and misrepresent- ation in press issued from the city world occur without means of effective control. Political kidnapping would be a distinct possibility. Every aircraft entering Kai Trk flies over or very near walled city and claims of rights to fly over the city might arise. Only Chinese could think up full and undesirable purposes to which jurisdiction of walled city could be put.