2
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To:
Sir George Gator
5/12/45.
is fatal to progress also.
6.
Relations with the services, about which we were warned repeatedly in London, are so far excellent. Admiral Harcourt is a very fine man: he pretends to know completely nothing about colonies or their administration. He refers to the Chinese as "Chinamen" with a fascinating lack of offence and he greets his bewildered visitors of all nationalities by saying "Glad to have you aboard". As to running the colony, I have had so free a hand that I have only now thought to ask for full delegation as a matter of form. My only anxiety is when he and the G.0.C get their heads together on some scheme usually relating to which they call "foreign policy": they are sometimes pretty far committed before we catch up with them, but so far no harm has been done.
7.
The colony is ready for civil government, except in the matter of staff. I depend heavily on the services
I have for police duties and one or two other things. not, for instance, even been to the New Territories Yet: the Commandos run the islands and most of the Northern and Southern Districts, though I have one District Officer and two apprentices doing what they can on specialised duties like land resumption.
8.
I see that February 1st has been set as the date for the change-over to civil administration, and I see no
'The difficulty about that provided staff is available. C.-in-C. is particularly anxious about the police who are sadly depleted, but somehow carry on under Sansom who never gives up. We shall have to remake the force from the ground up and I hope Sansom will be allowed a fairly free
The one thing hand. There are proposals on the stocks. that does strike me about the coming change-over is that it seems likely to coincide with open manifestations of
Labour, for one thing: trouble secretly brewing now. and for another, the hundred and one invidious tasks that
Such are must be tackled as soon as staff are available.
the settlement of war and damage claims, the payment of wages to those who left the colony and the adjustment of allowances and pensions paid to Hong Kong refugees in various parts of China and Macau: the stopping of wholesale relief (which I am clamping down on now) and the discharge of Government's responsibilities to Volunteers and other
I am essential workers in the way of finding jobs, etc. appalled at the cost of the Volunteers to the community something in the neighbourhood of $20,000,000 since 1941: it will be politically most unpopular, but we shall have to be firm with the Volunteers and I am starting now.
9.
All these and many more are matters likely to
There is no popular way of doing provoke resentment. what we have to do. My point is that the reactions will be beginning to catch up with us just about the time when
I would expect strikes civil government is restored. too in the spring or sooner, when labour has recovered its nerve and absorbed the present atmosphere and temper
We really cannot expect of the remainder of the Far East. Hong Kong to be for long the one spot in this area where
All this does not seem to me to strikes do not occur. be a reason for postponing civil government - in fact, I am certain the sooner we get out of uniform the better but it does perhaps supply a warning of what the new
And if the change- government must be prepared to face.
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over is shortly followed by civil disturbances, they will
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