TNAG-0042-FCO40-78-Future-Sovereignty-of-Hong-Kong-Defence-Review-Working-Party-1967 — Page 211

TOP SECRET

O.P.D.

INTERIM REPORT: HONG KONG

(Paper No.OPD(67)61)

1.e. by The interion report.

Summarumą

B

3

The Secretary of State may wish to introduce this paper in the Same

way as he introduced it in the Hong Kong Ministerial Committee on the

24th July A summary of the interim report is attached; it is the

one used by the Secretary of State at the previous meeting.

2.

There are certain points arising from the Minutes of the Ministerial

Committee Meeting on the 24th of July which may be touched upon in 0.P.D.

These are dealt with below.

Consultations with the Australians

3. The report mentions (paragraph 17) that the Americans could be of

great assistance in an evacuation but concludes that, because of the risk

of a leak, we need not now seek to plan jointly with them. The Ministerial

Committee concluded that we should not at present consult the United States

Administration about our plans.

has been

4. No mention is made here of the pressure that the Australians have

been exerting at official level for joint contingency planning for an

evacuation. The Australians have considerable interests in Hong Kong

and the Australian community numbers about 2,500. They have expressed

of anxiety for the safety of these and, in particularly, about their contingent attached to the intelligence community. At one stage they refused to

believe that we were, telling them the truth when we said that evacuation plans no tom

5.

And

hod

It may be necessary to tell them at the highest level and in strict confidence that we are now preparing evacuation plans in the United Kingdom and will consult with them at an appropriate stage. This may lead them to It would perhaps be advisable at this press us to bring the Americans in. stage avoid too rigid an attitude towards consulting with the Americans

we may reach the conclusion at quite an and Canadians in spite of the risks:

evacuation early stage of planning that, in an emergency planning, we willneed their military and logistic assistance.

68. It is understood that the Defence Secretary will raise the question

of possible ways of deterring the Chinese from a military attack on the

Colony;

in the Ministerial Committee the possibility of stationing in

Hong Kong a small nuclear strike force similar to that stationed in Singapore

at the time of the Indonesian confrontation was mentioned.

1

TOP SECRET