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That had ben
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by the British Government, it would continue no\matter what the political changes of any kind whatever might be in the Far East.
10.
this.
Sir Edward Gent said it was difficult to answer
11. Mrs. Forster said it was unlikely that America would withdraw financial support, of higher educational institutions in China and she did not see why the British Government should not be just as willing to support British institutions even if Hong Kong did not belong to us.
12. The Chairman said it was not within the purview of the Committee to take account of the position if the assumption that Hong Kong would remain British proved to be incorrect.
In this connextion
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the ^ e would like to refer to two points arising out
-papers NoS, 1–1 A No. 7 was a letter from a former Governor, Sir Andrew Caldecott, who in this capacity was Chancellor of the University. As members, of the Committee would have noticed, Sir Andrew had expressed considerable doubt as to the wisdom of initiating the reconstruction of the University until a spontaneous. demand for it came from the Hong Kong end. (The Chairman said he should explain that this letter was written when Sir Andrew's services were sought in connexion with the earlier Committee). thought that at some time questions might be raised by the Committee with regard to this letter and that it might be useful if they could know from Sir Edward Gent how much importance ought to be attached to the points raised in it.
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Sir Edward Gent said that this letter represented An extremely pessimistic view, but it was written at a time when Sir Andrew was in a state of personal distress. He was sure Sir Andrew would be glad to come to London to meet the Committee who could then judge whether his morale was still in the same condition as it was when he wrote the letter in question.
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14. The Chairman's Second point wee connected with Paper No. 2, which was the report of yet another Committee that met in the Colonial Office in 1943 when the war in the Far East looked like going on for a very long time. This Committee reviewed the future of higher education both in Malaya and in Hong Kong and inclined to view favourably the possibility of one university for both territories although they were evenly divided as to whether such a university should be located in Hong Kong or Malaya. decided however that they were not competent at that time to make any pronouncement on the question and recommended Commission of Enquiry afterthexa to advise upon the full development of the higher educational systems in Hong Kong and Malaya in the light of the post-war situation. They had advised that in the meantime the activities of Hong Kong University should be revived so soon as possible in a certain order of priority. It seemed to the Chairman that this had an important bearing on the present policy of the Colonial Office of going back to the Founder's original vision of a University in Hong Kong which, as an instrument of British policy in China, should cater for more than Colonial needs.
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