Mr. Seel
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Hong Kong Financial Settlement
Mr. Scarlett of the Foreign Office
rang up to say that they see some objection to the reference in our proposed public statement to H.M.G.'s belief in the future of the Colony. In their view, this would be saying officially in a round-about way what it has been agreed by Ministers cannot be said for the present for international reasons. I promised Mr. Scarlett to note on the file that if we wished to retain this phrase in the statement we shall have to go to the And his / matter up to the Secretary of /Foreign will hav
Foreign Office again As they will have to
State for Foreign Affairs.
My own view, for what it is worth, is that we should accept the Foreign Office official view and delete the phrase in question In that event it would be desirable I think to send a telegram out to the Governor at once informing him.
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We could of course suggest the substitution of "Hong Kong" for "Colony" in the passage in question so that it would read "their (that is H..G.'s) belief in Hong Kong's future". But I doubt whether Foreign Office would feel able to agree to this without reference to Ministers.
It seems hardly worth while going to this trouble to try to get an indirect assurance of this nature in regard to the future which is not likely to help us very much I think.
by mark
20.4.48.
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