CO129-591-13 Military Administration- proposed civil Affairs Agreement with China 20-7-1945 - 11-8-1945 — Page 15

ANNEX

The Charter of the Combined Civil Affairs Cormittee

at washington (under the co-Chairmanship of British and

merican representatives) was approved by the Combined Chiefs

of Sterf in September, 1943. Paragraph six of this Charter

reads as follows:-

2.

"Six. When an encry occupied territory of the United States, the United Kingdom or one of the Dominions is to be recovered as a result of an operation, combined or otherwise, the military directive to be given to the force commanders concerned will include policies to be followed in the handling of civil affairs as formulated by the government which exercised authority over the territory before enemar Occupation. If paramount military requirements, as determined by the Force Corrander, necessitate the departure from those policies, he will take action and report through the Chiefs of Staff to the

Combined Chiefs of staff."

There is thus clear agreement with the Americans that

in British territories in the Far East which are in an American

cormand, the policies to be followed on the liberation of those

territories shall be laid down by H.M.G. and accepted by the

American Force Commander.

3.

This agreement relates to policies only. We have

assumed, however, that it carries the implication that British

Civil Affairs persomel should be used to carry out British

policies, and this iatacitly agreed by the Americans. We have

support for this assumption in the procedure that has been

followed in Borneo. In that connection we informed the

Americans, through the Civil Affairs Committee (London), that

we had collected in London a nucleus Civil Affairs Unit for

Borneo comprising experienced administrative and technical

officers who were in the service of the local Governments prior

to enemy occupation and that these British staffa would be at

the disposal of the American Force Corrender. Following on this,

General