CO129-590-27 Ex-employees of Hong Kong Government- relief payments and allowances 27-3-1942 - 16-8-1943 — Page 115

u.

COPY.

11/20755/4/42

CYPHER

With the Compliments of the

Under Secretary of State

for Foreign Affairs

01

113

END

28th March, 1942.

Mr. Gent,

Colonial Office.

SECRET.

DEPARTMENTAL No. 2.

FROM CHUNGKING TO FOREIGN OFFICE.

Sir H. Seymour.

No. 379.

27th March, 1942.

D.

R.

7.00 p.m., 27th March, 1942.

5.05 p.m., 27th March, 1942.

33 3

IMPORTANT.

My telegram No. 366.

I should be grateful for urgent guidance on the following additional points:

(a) Will the Colonial Office continue to pay British

Hong Kong colonial service or their dependents who escaped? Are they to be repatriated?

(b) What is the policy to be regarding Chinese

employees of the Hong Kong Government; one or two have escaped and have applied to me for help It would create a bad impression to refuse, especially as many are known to have accepted service under the Japanese.

2. Members of the services who escaped will certainly use the facilities of the bureau, when founded, and it may be well to inform the service departments accordingly.

3. In order to get things going Mr. Keswick will probably fly to Kuangtung about April 5th and I am informing Chiang Kai-Shek of the proposed arrangement and requesting the co-operation of the Chinese Government.

4. As soon as I receive your general approval of the scheme, I propose to arrange suitable publicity here. I suggest that similar action might with advantage be taken in London.

(INDIV)