TNAG-0020-FCO40-56-Facilities-for-US-Forces-1967 — Page 20

Priginala HWA

SECRET

INWARD TELEGRAM

TO THE COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (The Secretary of State)

FROM HONG KONG (Sir D. Trench)

1/17 77A

Cypher

D. 18 May 1967

R. 18

1600Z

IMMEDIATE SECRET No.639

Addressed to Commonwealth Office (D.T.D.) Repeated

"Washington No.122

Peking No.240

17

#t POLAD Singapore No.108 (C.O. please pass to all)

LAT

REF.

HWDリクセ

LEX.

1

Your telegram No.944.

REF.

98

100

Kowloon Disturbances.

The belief is growing here that one of the aims in the Chinese campaign against Hong Kong, (if there is any aim beyond a desire to humiliate), may be to force us to take some major anti-American gesture, e.g. by reducing the use of Hong Kong by U.S. servicemen for rest and recreation.

2. As far as the short-term problem is concerned, I adhere to the view expressed in my telegram No.604 that though we ought for the moment to think carefully before agreeing to the entrance of large American ships, which would be regarded as unduly provocative, we should let visits by smaller ships continue. Any sign that we had cut out these visits altogether might depress local non-Communists and encourage the Chinese to demand formally that the visits should end altogether.

3. Should such a demand be made as part of some settlement, I take it that you would see difficulties in suggesting to the Americans that we should fall in with it; but I would be grateful for your views.

4. A further problem relates to the two daily flights to Hong Kong of servicemen on rest and recreation from Vietnam. They have occasioned far less criticism than naval visits in the past. However, there are obvious risks in having 1,000 U.S. servicemen at present billeted in Kowloon, especially if there are curfews. We have discussed the problem with the U.S. Consulate General. Their response has been that a complete cessation of these visits would inevitably become known to the public and cause alarm and despondency, i.e. as a sign that the U.S. was in some way dissociating itself from the present situation in the Colony. They propose instead that the current programme be revised to ensure that servicemen arrive only in the hours of daylight; this would probably imply a reduction in the programme of about 50%, but the risks of the change becoming known would in their view be relatively small. inclined to agree with this, but would welcome your views.

I am

/(Passed

SECRET