TNAG-0020-FCO40-56-Facilities-for-US-Forces-1967 — Page 95

PA.

FOR REST

INWARD TELEGRAM

INWARD

TO THE COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (The Secretary of State)

t:

FROM HONG KONG (Sir D. Trench)

HWB 2/1

En clair

D. 15th March, 1967. R. 15th

05.25 hrs.

MAR

.5

12

1967

10

2

3

4

No. 339.

7

G

5

Addressed to Commonwealth Office. Repeated "Peking No. 115.

"Washington No. 61.

#1

" POLAD Singapore No. 44.

The local Left-Wing press gives prominent coverage this morning (15th March) on their Hong Kong pages, to the arrival on 14th March of the nuclear-powered U.S. aircraft carrier ENTERPRISE. The feature articles, apart from describing the ENTERPRISE and the other U.S. vessels which have visited Hong Kong in the last week or so claim (falsely) that H.M.S. TANAR, "which has since last year become an anchorage and supply point for U.S. vessels", now guarded by U.S. naval police.

2.

is

The Wen Wei Pao has a short commentary composed mainly of quotations from the Chinese note of protest delivered when the ENTERPRISE last visited Hong Kong in February, 1966, from the People's Daily commentator article of about the same date and from Chairman Mao. The Wen Wei Pao commentator claims off his own bat that the arrival of the ENTERPRISE means that US. imperialism is making increased use of Hong Kong as a base in enlarging its war of aggression and that if the British authorities in Hong Kong continue to provide Hong Kong as an aggressive base for the U.S. and to act as an accomplice of U.S. aggressors things will definitely not turn out well.

DEPARTMENTAL DISTRIBUTION

Copy sent to:-

Foreign Office

F.E.D.

56.