"X"
5.
Extract from cos minutes.
SURRENDER OF HONG KONG
صالح 66
THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS said that he had received a number of telegrams showing that the Chinese were requiring the surrender of Hong Kong to be postponed until after Chiang Kai-Shek had arranged the general surrender in the Chinese theatre with the 'Japanese Commander-in-Chief. They were also requiring certain undertakings that we should hand over to thum Japanese ships and mechanical transport captured in Hong Kong. So far as he was aware, General Order No.1 has not yot boon amended to include any reference to Hong Kong and all that we know on the subject was a mossego from Gonerál Enc.rthur to Admiral Fraser saying that ho Yould direct the Japanese in Hong Kong to surrender to Rear Admiral Harcourt. It was impossible to recede further from the position we had taken, vis-a-vis General Chiang Kai-Shok through sono American action or failure to take action, and he thought it important to clear up beyond doubt that the Japanese had received a straight crdor from Gonorel acrthur.
The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs read out
a proposed telegram from the Foreign Office to Chungking stating that instructions were being sent to Admiral Harcourt to sign, not only on behalf of His Majesty's Government but equally on behalf of Chiang-Kai-Shek as the Commander-in-Chief, China theatre. He urged that if this telegram was agreed, the Admiralty, when giving parallel instructions to Admiral Harcourt, should repeat them to Admiral Fraser and instruct him to ask General MacArthur to confirm. that instructions have in fact been given to the Japanese in Hong Kong to surrender to Admiral Harcourt, and if General MacArthur had not issued the order to ask that this should be done at once.
THE COMMITTEE:-
(a)
75
(b)
Approved the telegram as read by the
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and invited the Foreign Office to arrange for its despatch;
Invited the Admiralty to despatch similar
instructions to Admiral Harcourt, including a request to Admiral Fraser to obtain the necessary assurances at "X" above from General MacArthur.
45
Sent as No.1032 to Chungking
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