CO129-590-6 Liaison between Hong Kong Government and British Ambassadors in China and Japan 8-11-1940 - 1-2-1941 — Page 13

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suggestions.

Meanwhile our examination of the problem

has suggested that it does not concern Hong Kong alone

as well but that some form of closer political liaison is

highly desirable between His Majesty's diplomatic

representatives in Japan, China and Thailand, the

Commander-in-Chief Far East, the Governors of the Straits

Settlements and Hong Kong and His Majesty's Consuls-

General at Batavia and Saigon.

Whether this liaison

can be satisfactorily maintained by one travelling officer

can only be shown by experience, but subject to any

comments which you, or the other representatives

principally concerned, may have to offer, it is proposed

to recommend to the Treasury that the matter be put to

the test by the appointment for an experimental period

of Mr. P.D. Butler, at present His Majesty's Consul-

General at San Francisco, as political liaison officer

within the geographical area indicated above. This

should be regarded at present as confidential and Mr.

Butler himself has not yet been informed. The proposal

is that he should have the acting rank of Counsellor in

the diplomatic service, that he should have no

independent functions vis-à-vis of the Foreign Office,

his duties being to advise and maintain liaison between

the various diplomatic, consular, military or colonial authorities concerned; and that any reports. which he may

draw up should be addressed to these authorities in so

far as they are respectively concerned and not to the

Foreign Office, to whom, however, he would be at liberty

to send copies. It is suggested that his headquarters

might most conveniently be at Singapore, but this would

be subject to review. It would be necessary in the first

instance for him to return to England to familiarise

himself with the general position, so that some little

time must necessarily elapse before he could assume

his duties.

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