SECRET
COPY
4th October, 1945.
19
'To:
1.
Commander in Chief.
There will be no dispute as to Mr. Keswick's general thesis. Relations with China are all important for Hong Kong, and the Colony can neglect no means of equipping herself to develop and foster these in conformity with H.K.G's policy.
2.
The Constitution of Hong Kong is under consideration in London at this moment, and I was myself able to take part in the initial discussions last spring. I had the opportunity of discussing the technique of China/Hong Kong relations with the British Ambassador in Chungking fairly extensively during the period 1939/41, and later with Mr. Gent, the Assistant Under Secretary, at the Colonial Office in charge of Far Eastern colonies.
3. Mr. Keswick's note is a reinforcement of views already widely advocated and largely accepted. They will be found reflected, I think, in the structure of the New Civil Govern- ment when it succeeds the present Military Administration.
4.
press:
As to immediate action, I am sure that our line is to
(a) for the appointment now of a British Consul in Canton
(b) for frequent visits to Hong Kong by British Embassy
staff, and equally frequent return visits by Hong Kong Government staff to China.
5. We are lucky to have Mr. Hawkins fit enough to stay on in the Colony for another month or so as S.C.A: that should give us time to consider whether among the staff now said to be en route from London there is a suitable successor for this most important post.
(I do not think we need be unduly alarmed by the present
scale of Chinese infiltrations into Hong Kong. Gen. Pan and his cohorts are a mere trickle compared with the 1941 situation, when the Colony had almost as many Chinese as British officials.)
sgd/- C.C.A.0.
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