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96834/15/48.

Colonial Office, Sanctuary Buildings, Great Smith Street, S. W. 1.

8th November, 1948.

Dear MacDougall,

In paragraph 27 of the Notes on my visit to Hong Kong I said that further enquiry would be made into the possibility of enabling the Hong Kong Broadcasting Station to be heard over a wider area. I had in mind the need for further discussion with the Foreign Office in regard to the points which they raised when the proposal was last referred to them see the Secretary of State's Secret Despatch No. 10 of the 3rd June. Several people in Hong Kong, including I think, yourself, told me that people in South China and particularly in Canton were very anxious to listen to the programmes from Radio Hong Kong.

I think it might be worth while my having a further informal talk with the people in the Foreign Office about this matter in the hope that they may agree to support a proposal to provide funds for the inst llation of a transmitter able to reach Canton on the medium wave. (There is not the slightest prospect of their agreeing to the installation of a new short-wave transmitter in Hong Kong, nor to the introduction of special programmes aimed at China). Before I make this informal approach, we should be glad to know whether the Government of Hong Kong consider the matter of sufficient importance to justify re-opening it.

Yours sincerely,

(K. W. Blackburne)

Director of Information Services.

D. M. Mao DOUGALL, ESQ., CMG.