CO537-6046 — Page 12

WHItehall 2323

Ext.: 24

Your reference

Please quote in reply: F.4185/14

SECRET

55

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COMMONWEALTH RELATIONS OFFICE

DOWNING STREET

LONDON S.W.I

14th December, 1950.

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Dear Mr. Hall,

Thank you for your letter 54145/4/50 of 1st December about the proposed constitutional changes in Hong Kong, with which you enclosed a draft despatch to the Governor of Hong Kong. We have no comments on the draft nor on the new proposals for the constitution.

2. We are anxious that the Government of India should see these despatches before they are published; in view of the interest which they have expressed in the subject we should not wish them to get their first information from the press. It would not however be our intention to invite comments from them prior to publication and it therefore seems that the best plan would be to send copies of the two despatches to New Delhi so that the High Commissioner could pass them to the Government of India a day or two before they were published in Hong Kong. We should be glad to know whether you agree with this procedure and if so`perhaps you will arrange for Hong Kong to notify New Delhi direct in advance of the publication date.

3. There is another point I should like to mention in connection with these despatches and that is the Government of India's interest in securing representation of the local Indian community on the Legislative Council in Hong Kong.

1

We/

H.P. Hall, Esq.,

Colonial Office.

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