CO537-5132 — Page 13

28. Hong Kong

I asked

the F.O.

meeting

and

was

a duprised

that

Tel. No. 920 Sec

about his at

2/9/49

Wed'in days

action resto

with Suigapore

to reply

to (<7)

•

(28). Tuntil

Then no further action can be taken to weak lin

appointment.

1919

3.0.

10

。 days.

6.5.morou morgan

9/8 dh

B.u. I days,

ws. mojou

19/9 al.

26/9

Reurmiated 19/9

29. Hongstong

199

H.453

Tel 561

B.U.

26/9

ماما

WJ. 23/9

15/9/49.

Дари тоа?

Ind

x1

Recventaten 2019.

Mr. Sidebotham

for Parkin.

I am now able to report the position which has been reached in respect of the proposal to appoint to Hong Kong

a representative of the Regional Information Office to organise counter-Communist propaganda.

I raised this matter in the Foreign Office this week and I was advised that agreement has been reached between Singapore, Hong Kong and the Ambassador in Nanking on the terms of reference of the appointment. The position has therefore been reached when the Foreign Office are now about to seek the

approval of Treasury to create the appointment. They have promised to let us have a copy of their letter to the Treasury, and we shall then be able to see what has been agreed in respect of duties, salary and status of the officer.

Our papers do not contain a complete record of the interchange of telegrams in the Far East, but the telegram at (29) from Hong Kong contains a suggestion which is open to criticism, namely, that the officer should hayas his job the dissemination in publicity in Hong Kong about British achievement. The Foreign Office have consulted me about this and I have agreed that this is a function which properly belongs to the Information Officer of the Hong Kong Goverment, although in practice it

would/