CO537-4999 — Page 10

opy at (59) on T4474/LAPTE

시

Mr. Paskin

With reference to the attached copy of Cabinet clusions, which Mr. Roberts has lent to me, I submit a draft telegram to Hong Kong. The general form of this I have agreed with Mr. Luke of the Cabinet Office and Mr. Morgan, more particularly as My Morgan has raised the point whether the despatch of the two additional Infantry Brigades could only be finally decided when the question of calling up Section A of the Army Reserve had been further examined. I had no taken this view, and Mr. Luke agrees that the decision to send the Brigades was clear cut and not dependent on the 'call-up issue. Mr. Luke said that he saw no objection to the inclusion of a note about the possibility of further reinforcement ex Malaya in September if the Hong Kong situation called for it and the position in Malaya then permitted. Mr. Luke, however, suggested the omission of any reference to a fresh decision of policy in our telegram to the Governor.

I understand that the issues raised in paragraphs 8 and 9 of No. 81 on this file will be discussed with General Ritchie on Monday afternoon. Faragraph 6 of the Governor's Top Secret despatch, to which he refers in the concluding paragraph of No. 81, is disposed of by this telegram so far as it is possible to do so. relevant despatch is on 94003/49 below.

(44)

A copy of the

Extracts from these Cabinet conclusions will be required for our papers in due course.

JAJ

27.5.1949.

I have ascertained from the Chiefs of staff Secretariat that the Chiefs of Staff themselves will not be telegraphing these decisions to the Commanders-in-Chief Singapore. The communicat- ions will be sent by each of the Service Departments to the particular Commander-in-Chief with which each is concerned. Captain Evershed accordingly suggested that I should clear this draft telegram with Major-General Redman (D.M.0) at the War Office.

General Redman tells me that the War Office will not themselves be communicating information about these reinforcements for a few days (i.e. until they have gone into one or two administrative arrangements). For this reason he asked me to make the addition which I have inserted in manuscript at the end of para. 4. The point of this is that while they are very glad that the G.0.0. should have early notice of these reinforcements, they do not want him to start getting busy about arrangements (or indeed telegraphing to Singapore) until the War Office own signals can be issued.

J.J.P.

27 May 49.

6.1.1.127/1

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