CO537-6314 — Page 57

OUTWARD TELEGRAM.

FROM THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE COLONIES.

11447

COPY FOR REGISTRATION

TO HONG KONG (Sir A. Grantham)

774023/4

Cypher (0.T.P.)

Sent 13th June, 1950.

16.00 hrs.

No. 939 Confidential.

Following from Foreign Office to Peking No. 800 12th June repeated to Tamsui, Singapore and Hong Kong. Begins.

Your telegram No. 729.

(36)

Should Chinese Government raise the question of these troops you could explain that we had done no more than return to Formosa soldiers who had fallen into our hands as a result of our own action in recovering possession of a British ship and thus restore the status quo. This was quite distinct from the case of the soldiers who had entered Hong Kong as a result of action taken by Chinese forces.

2.

We are still endeavouring to ascertain exact position as regards arms and cannot express final views on this aspect of the question until further information is

available. Preliminary view is that Nationalists prima facie have a clear legal right to the arms as their property. On the other hand we appreciate that the Chinese Government may well maintain that the Nationalists are merely insurgents and that return of arms to them constitutes an unfriendly act on our part. Ends,

Circulated to:-

Secretary of State

Mr. Webber

Sir T. Lloyd

Mr. T.F. Cook

Sir G.

Jeffries

Sir H. Poynton

Mr. Gorell Barnes

Mr. Eastwood

Mr. A.R. Thomas

Mr. Galsworthy

Mr. Bennett Brig. Johnson

Colonial Attache Mr. Bigg

Accounts Branch

Mr. Davies

Rm. 445

Rm. 440

Mr. Paskin

Mr. Sidebotham

Mr. Hall1

Mr. Luke

Mr. J.C. Morgan