CO537-4999 — Page 161

Copy also sent to Mr.

Sidebotham.

SECRET

C.M. (49) 38th

Conclusions

Cory

also

at (59) an 34454/49 Part I

Mr. Paskin

CABINET 38 (49)

Extract from

CONCLUSIONS of a Meeting of the Cabinet held in Conference Room 'B', Cabinet Office, Great George Street, S.W.1, on

THURSDAY, 26TH MAY, 1949,

at 9.45 a.m.

(108)

The Cabinet

(1) Approved the proposal to send to Hong Kong

the further reinforcements described in C.P.(49) 118, subject to further

consideration by the Defence Committee of the proposals (i) to send a squadron of long-range fighters from the United Kingdom and (ii) to call up Section 'A' of the Army Reserve; and authorised the Service Departments to proceed at once with the preliminary arrangements for all these movements save those affected by (i) and (ii).

(2) Agreed that for the time being no public

announcement should be made that any fresh decision of policy had been taken in respect of Hong Kong or that any further reinforcements were to be sent there.

(3) Invited the Secretary of State for Commonwealth

Relations and the Foreign Secretary, respectively, to inform the Governments of the other Commonwealth countries and of the United States of the development of the situa tion in Hong Kong and of the decision to reinforce the garrison still further; and to as certain whether those Governments would be prepared to support a policy of defending Hong Kong against aggression by Communist forces from the mainland and, if need be, to make at the appropriate stage public declarations in support of that policy.

(4) Agreed that final decisions regarding the basis of

United Kingdom policy in respect of Hong Kong, and the form and timing of any announcement regarding it, should be taken by the Cabinet in the light of the views expressed by the Governments of the other Commonwealth countries and of the United States.

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