CO129-591-10 Military Administration 16-1-1945 - 28-3-1946 — Page 123

COLONIAL

MON

OFFICE

CONFIDENTIAL

My dear Gent,

Colonial Office,

2 Park Street, W.1.

16th June, 1945.

1석

123

De o.

موجن

wain M.J. Ade

Deck

e pro

Sansom and the Bishop of Hong Kong have seen something of Colonel Ride in Kunming during the last few weeks. Independently and privately both have mentioned to me their impression that Ride is not very happy about the proposals in regard to his own position in the military government of the Colony. His hopes are of course pinned for the moment on what he calls "an active war job"; possibly also he has run his own show long enough to make unattractive a prospect of anything below a top job. In Kunming I had many discussions with him and he made no secret of his desire to stay with B.A.A.G. to the end, as a matter of personal inclination and sentiment, if that were possible. Here is an extract from a letter he recently sent

me:

"After you left I wrote officially bringing up the question of the future of the B.A.A.. with special reference to the calls that may be made on it from other organisations and I hope that it will help to clear the air. You no doubt saw the letter in Delhi. I cannot help feeling that it would be a mistake to disband a show like this immediately the fun and games start around H. K., but that decision must be left to people on a much higher level. I think the general feeling amongst officers individually is that they are in this thing to the end and want to see it through although there are some who would jump at the opportunity of getting a more or less definite job in H.K. I personally incline towards the former;

G.E.J.GENT,ESQ.

I