8/1170/4850
Cogy tos Calonial Office.
My dear Leo,
30th July, 1948.
3
OF CITY
We have rcodived fran you under cover of Marking V.L. despatch reference No.466 (47/1021/48) of 14th June, 1943, codes of correspond- ence regarding the above Party which now has its beadquarters in Hong Kong. We have never felt inclined to take a very serious view about the notivities of this warty here, but it may be useful to you to have the following information about than an record.
2.
The Eefoma Group of the Deas:cratic Docialist Party, nho split away from the main body of the Iarty he ded by Carson Chang on the question of co-operating with the K.1.2. Goverment, set up their office atчoe in long Kong towards the end of 1947. The most sotive wher of the Party in liong Hong is Major Gevril Suh Pho-itan ( 7 剛 but the Chairman of the ferty is u lisien Tac ( 11 €
>
). Their
main activities in Hong Kong sean to conxist in blackenią; the face of the other branch of the Party headed by Carson Chang. Apart from that they talk a ranrkable amount of well intentioned hot air about dcuocracy and socialima, taking the line that they would like to model therзselves and their policies on the Labour Party in the United Kingdom. As regarda China thoir policies seem to be entirely out of touch with reality.
3. The central caldttoe of the Reform Group of the Decocratic Socialist arty held a mosting of the llong Kong and lacno imunch on the 4th Jumary, 1948, in Hong Kong, at which wu lisien Tas presided. According to Sun no-tang it appears that at this meting the arty decided to endeavour to work in co-operation with right wing thinkers of the Chim vanocratic League who raained in Shanghai, in order to establish a strong Tird.arty to check the rapid expansion of the Comunist movament. le added that they did not see eye to eye with the Revolutionary Committee of the fall.l. under Jarshal 14 Chai-sun on the point of merican asuistance to China, which the Dansoare tie Socialist furty favours.
after that meeting little was heard of the Dexcra tie Socialist arty for some months, until A ril, when an article in one of the more moderate Chinese newspapers in Hong Kong, the Kung sheung Evening News, gave an account of the tendency of the varty to split into even smaller factions or cliques. This article, which appears to be fairly accurate, claimed that roughly speaking the xbers of the Group, who were united only in the matter of boycotting Garsci Chang, could be divided into the f'allowing tirvo categories:
a) une Group supporting the policy of forading an alliance with the China Democratic League. This Group is headed by Chang Tung-shum ( * R * ) who is actually a Lumber in his private ojacity of the C.D.L.
by the Decoratic Layize.
RECEIVEO
This view was not accepted
b) A scoond category....
L.H. Lamb, Cail.Go, O.Dalie,
Hui. Charge d'affaires, British Embassy,
ANCING.
17 AUG 1948 C.O. AS
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