TNAG-0007-FCO40-43-Governorship-of-Hong-Kong-1968 — Page 66

Communist pressures (no doubt this was

one of

the reasons why the Communists resorted to

personal vilification of him at the height of

last year's troubles'). It is of fundamental

importance to our position in Hong Kong that

we should do nothing which might erode public

confidence in the Colony; and in view of the

real trust which the Chinese inhabitants in

particular repose in Sir David an extension of

resent circumsta his term of office would be regarded as

reassurance of the continuing steadfastness

of our policy there. There is indeed a

widespread campaign in Hong Kong for Sir David's

term of office to be extended. [This

is has taken

the form of numerous letters and editorials in

the non-Communist Chinese language press;

and+

of petitions to The Queen, British Government,

погле and to myself from individuals and no less

than 356 Chinese organisations in Hong Kong,

ing who can be regarded as being representative

of virtually the entire non-Communist Chinese

reperentations & us for a Ly population of the Colony; the Unofficial

Members of Executive and Legislative Councils

сира

have twice expressed a unanimous wish that

Sir David's term of office should be extended,

the last time in December 1967 to one of my

officials who was visiting the Colony. And

on the 15th April this year three leading

members of the Councils wrote again urging an

extension: the letter was signød by Sir Albert

Rodrigues, the senior Unofficial Member of

Executive Council, Colonel Clague, the senior

European Unofficial, and C.Y. Kwan, the

recognised spokesman for the Chinese Unofficial

Members.

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