Mr. Compton said that the recent C.I.D. decision
meant that no further military commitments would be
undertaken on the mainland, and asked whether it had not
been decided that our present commitment there should be
reduced. Mr. Howard replied, and Captain Bourne
confirmed, that the decision did not imply a reduction
of our commitments on the mainland, but merely that there
should be no extension of them at the present time.
Captain Bourne emphasised the importance of the mainland
under any circumstances as enabling delaying tactics to be carried out, and referred once again to the temporary
nature of the recent C.I.D. decision.
In reply to a question Major Grover said that
this decision meant that the Hong Kong Harbour could not
be used as a naval base for the British Fleet but merely
that its use would be denied to an enemy fleet in time of
war.
Mr. Jarrett said that from the Admiralty point of view, and subject to what the Foreign Office had to
say on this point, they felt that the present was a
favourable opportunity for extending our lease.
There
was no immediate need for this extension except in so
far as the present appeared to be the most favourable
chance we were likely to have for some time.
Captain Bourne pointed out that the recent
CI.D. policy meant that we must maintain Hong Kong as a
defended base, i.e. that it would not be given up as such,
as had at one time been suggested.
As long as Hong Kong
was to be maintained as such he felt that the maintenance
of British sovereignty over the leased territory was
essential.
3.
Wing
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