CO537-6314 — Page 33

Cypher/OTP

63

DEPARTMENTAL DISTRIBUTION

FROM PEKING TO FOREIGN OFFICE

Mr. Hutchison

No. 1873

D. 12. 44 p. m. 23rd November, 1950.

21st November, 1950.

F. 1.55 p. m. 23rd November, 1950.

PRIORITY

CONFIDENTIAL

Addressed to Foreign Office telegram No. 1873 of November 21st Repeated for information to Hong Kong and Tamsui.

(60)

Your telegram No. 1752: Nationalist soldiers in Hong Kong.

In view of failure of Chinese authorities to answer our enquiries and of great urgency of this question as seen in Hong Kong I feel that I have no option but most reluctantly to agree that arrangements should now be made for these people to enter Formosa.

2. Since shipment of these people may very likely cause repercussions here which might be particularly serious at present

time.

(a)

be a very small one.

I strongly recommend that first batch should

(b) It is essential that they are all unarmed and I trust that none of them will be in uniform.

(c) I suggest that arrangements should be made

through Tung Wah Hospital if possible.

3. The forthcoming repatriation from Malaya in s. s. Muinan (your telegram 1841) may give some indication of probable Chinese reactions to compulsory repatriation of Chinese from abroad. If the case goes well we might consider possibility of shipping some of this Hong Kong batch from Hong Kong to North China.

Foreign Office please pas Priority to Tamsui as my

telegram 15.

(Repeated as requested).

DISTRIBUTED TO:-

Far Eastern Department

South East Asia Department

EEEEE