CO537-4998 — Page 79

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D.C.(49)

TH APRIL. 1949

Pafir bytte Memester of Defen

50

DRAFT -

CABINET

DEFENCE COMMITTEE

REINFORCEMENT OF HONG KONG

Memorandum by Minister of Defence

present

I wish to consult my colleagues about our future

policy for Hong Kong in the light of recent developments in

China.

2.

The British Defence Co-ordination Committee, Far

East, have recently reported to the Chiefs of Staff on the

various threats that might arise to our interests in Hong

Kong as a result of Communist successes in China.

thought these threats were threefold:-

3.

They

(a) internal unrest, probably sponsored by Communist-

inspired trade unions;

(b) a large scale influx of refugees in numbers beyond

the capacity of the Colony to absorb;

(c) external aggression by guerilla bands, probably

Communist-inspired.

They reported that. to deal with all these threats

if they arose simultaneously,`the present garrison of Hong

Kong

Jad

consisting of 3 battalions

-

- would have to be

reinforced by a brigade group. Although they had made plans

for reinforcing Hong Kong by one battalion from Malaya in

emergency, any other reinforcements would have to come from

other than Far East resources.

4.

with

The Chiefs of Staff agreed that this assessment

and, had the troops been available, would have recommended

the immediate reinforcement of the Far East some two

-1-