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JAPANESE SURRENDER IN HONG KONG
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Chiang Kai Shek has not accepted our face-saving offer to him that the Jap surrender in Hong Kong should be accepted not only by Rear Admiral Harcourt on behalf of H.M.G. but also by the British G.0.C. British Forces in China on behalf of Chiang Kai Shek as China Theatre Commander.
The Foreign Office are now proposing to send the telegram attached (B) to Chungking to say that Admiral Harcourt is now being instructed to sign a surrender document not only on behalf of H.M.G. but equally on behalf of Chiang Kai Shek as China Theatre Commander.
As General MacArthur's general order No. 1 (designating to the Chinese Allied Authorities in various areas to whom the local Japanese Commanders were to surrender) did not mention Hong Kong but designated Chiang Kai Shek as regards areas "within China" in correspondence with the Prime Minister, who pointed out that Hong Kong not being "within China" needed a supplementary order to the Japanese to surrender in that British Colony to the British Naval Force Commander (Admiral Harcourt), President Truman agreed that instructions would be issued accordingly to General MacArthur as soon as arrangements for certain military co-ordination through Hong Kong with American and Chinese forces in China had been completed by the British. We thereupon offered Chiang Kai Shek the fullest possible facilities through Hong Kong for these military purposes. But we still have not heard whether General MacArthur has in fact given the necessary orders to the Japanese to surrender in Hong Kong to Admiral Harcourt. In the telegram marked C General MacArthur is reported on August 24th to have told Admiral Fraser that "this Office (General MacArthur's G.H.Q.) will direct Japanese to surrender through forces in Hong Kong to Rear Admiral Harcourt".
The Foreign Office now intend that the Admiralty should be asked to telegraph urgently to Admiral Fraser that he should at once press for an order in this sense to be given without further delay to the Japanese if it has not already been done, seeing that Admiral Harcourt is already in Hong Kong and Admiral Fraser is to be asked to certain precisely in what terms the order is given to the Japanese (so as to make sure that as far as the Japanese are concerned the surrender is to be made to Admiral Harcourt by name simplicita and not to a delegate of Chiang Kai Shek.
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It is to be noted that Chiang Kai Shek maintains his view of Hong Kong as part of his Chian Theatre Commander and is pressing very extensive demands for facilities in Hong Kong and the handing over to him of Japanese War material found there (see telegram D). also requests that the Jap surrender in Hong Kong should not take place until a date after the Jap surrenders in various regions of China. All this uncertainty makes it imperative that our position in Hong Kong is based on a firm order given at once to the Japs by the Supreme Commander, General MacArthur.
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