CO129-610-3 Rehabilitation of Hong Kong University 15-2-1949 - 7-2-1950 — Page 22

a

to

22

As to hn. Cox's (6), I certainly feel

letter

to Mr. Adams cod. mu. Cox's verbal Statement that hus. Adams shed.

add

weight

I also

see the draft by

See

possible, he shed. approved for issue; perhaps

Sept. 29d

the draft

Sprothem & Pr. Cox. We will shack openin

you Pastoin

world be willing

to

ask

Nu.

if he has time to look at it?

Wilmers

15/9

for the TVC Exe. Che. meeting of the mommo

لیا

է.

199

N- would be unthinkably unwise step pritsidley.

See dro har. új in

hardillon's minuli

14/6/48. h.

1

2015

に

Mr. Cox mentioned the matter to the Executive Committee of the I.U.C. yesterday, and it has been put on the agenda for the Council meeting on 29th September. Mr. Cox does not consider that a letter to the Council is now necessary, and as they will not be telegraphing to Hong Kong at present we need not either. However, there was, he told me, considerable doubt, more on the subject of whether the University has a future at all than on that of the immediate visit. Sir Alexander Carr-Saunders, who appears to be the "big noise", asked Mr. Cox if, assuming China was going completely Communist, there was any probability of students being drawn from the mainland and, if there was not, whether we were not no back at the position envisaged in the Cox Committee's Report, whed,, failing an ex- pansion of the University to meet these Lugard functions, its complete discontinance was thought preferable to a limited and ineffective continuance to meet the needs of Hong Kong alone. Mr. Cox answered that it would create a very bad impression, politically, at present, if the delegation did not at least go out, and that the wider question should wait on the result of their visit. To meet questions on these lines at the Council meeting on the 29th September, however, Mr. Cox thinks he will need briefing on the political aspect and would like to see these papers again a few days beforehand with an indication what he should say on these lines.

It is, I think, clear that an even worse effect would be created by announcing the abandonment of the University in the near future than by merely cancelling the visit of the delegation; it would quite clearly be regarded as an indica- tion of lack of confidence in Hong Kong's political future. I think Mr. Cox should speak along these lines perhaps doing what he can to indicate that the University can have a useful life on a more restricted scale) and it would clearly help if we could say that the Foreign Office supported us on this. Action now, therefore, seems to be to get off the draft

letter to the Governor, to secure the Foreign Office's agree-

ment as above and then to let Mr. Cox have the papers back with

a short brief added in the sense indicated.

Kvinn

17.9.1949.