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in our withdrawal). Nothing short of capitulation on their torns nay
satisfy thom: we may expect thoro fore that a unilatoral docision on
our part to withdraw with what we can salvago will bo rosisted by then.
At tho bost this might tako the form of maximum organised harasunont
within Hong Kong to ensure that wo do not got away in an orderly and
dignified fashion (once it is clear that wo aro getting out, Poking
will not be short of villing helpers and adherents in the Colony). At the
worst, wo might find them openly harrying us with military forces and
using those to bar our cxits by air and sca.
20:
On the summption that withdrawal would take place in those
circumstancos, it would be advisable to bogin it before the Police woro
oxhausted and donoralised (by which stage public confidence would also
have cracked) and the troops hoavily committed, without any polico
support, to the maintenance of public order. The exact point of tino
for a decision to withdraw would, wo think, be incapable of prociso
dofinition; it would depohd on an appraisal of three principal factors
the stato of polico norale and public confidence weighed in the balanco
against the scale of Communist activifios and the intentions of Poking,
both oxisting and forcscon. A situation in which police morale and public
confidence wore cloarly on a rapid downward turn in the face of a rising
tido of Communist activity, with Poking showing sono overt and direct
support boyond noro propaganda oncouragement (o.g. rofusal to rosuno water
supplies, sorios of organicod dononstrations on the frontior) would indicato
that wo wore noaring the point beyond which the retrieval of our position would
be impossiblo. At that stage there would soon little point in waiting for
final disintegration.
OBJECTIVES OF WITHDRAWAL
21. Evacuation of Persons.
familios. Wo have, of course, a responsibility to protect all British
subjects and Commonwealth Citizens of non-Chinoso raco. We havo risidual
There are the British troops and their
responsibility for foreign nationals (other than Chinoso) if their own
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