TNAG-0052-FCO40-88-Communist-activities-in-schools-1968 — Page 96

CYPHER/CAT A

PRIORITY HONG KONG

TELEGRAM NUMBER &32

SECRET.

(22

TOP COPY

SECRET

TO

COMMONWEALTH OFFICE

29 JUNE 1968

Hw

ARPRESSED COMMONWEALTH OFFICE AS MY TELEGRAM NO. 832 DATED 29TH

JONE REPEATED FOR INFORMATION TO PEKING.

19

PEKING TELEGRAM NO. 557: CHUNG WAH SCHOOL.

54

APART FROM THE PARTICULAR PROBLEM OF THIS SCHOOL, ON WHICH I HAVE (20) COMMENTED IN MY TELEGRAM NO. 31, I WOULD LIKE TO COMMENT ON A

MORE GENERAL ISSUE PAISED 14 PEKING TELEGRAM UNDER REFERENCE. 2. DO NOT CONSIDER THAT OUR OBJECT IN HONG KONG IS A 'PETURN TO NORMAL LIFE' IF THIS MEANS ENCOURAGING OR PASSIVELY PERMITTING THE COMMUNISTS TO REGAIN A POSITION OF STRENGTH SIMILAR TO THAT HELD PRIOR TO APRIL 1967. EVEN THOUGH THIS POSITION PROVED TO BE TOO WEAK TO ENABLE THEM TO ACCOMPLISH THEIR ENDS, IT WAS NEVERTHELESS DANGEROUSLY STRONG. I AGREE OUTWARD NORMALITY IS DESIRABLE: BUT WE MUST NEVERTHELESS DO EVERYTHING WE CAN, WITHOUT MORE PARADE OF I THAN CAN BE AVOIDED, TO USE THIS LULL TO ENSURE THAT OUR OWN POSITION IMPROVES ON EARLY 1967 AND AND THAT IT TAKES THEM AS LONG AS POSSIBLE TO PECOVER THEIR PREVIOUS DEGREE OF ABILITY TO DISRUPT THE COLONY' S LIFE.

3. THE EVIDENCE SUCH AS IT IS ALL GOES, I SUGGEST, TO SHOW THAT THE QUICKER THEY RECOVER SUFFICIENT STRENGTH THE SOONER THEY MAY TRY AGAIN: AND CONVERSLY THAT, WHILE THEY CONTINUE TO HAVE FAILED TO ACHIEVE SUFFICIENTLY STRONG POSITIONS IN ALL MAJOR SENSITIVE FIELDS, THEY WILL WAIT UNTIL THEY ARE FAVOURABLY PLACED AND CONFINE THEM- SELVES TO RELATIVELY MINOR TRIALS OF STRENGTH.

4. AT PRESENT, IT IS CLEAR THAT LOCAL COMMUNIST MOPALE HERE IS VERY LOW IN ALL FIELDS EXCEPT EDUCATION AND POSSIBLY THE PRESS. I SEE NO REASON TO DO ANYTHING TO HELP THEM BOLSTER IT UP AGAM, UNLESS THERE IS CLEAR ADVANTAGE TO US TO BE GAINED IN SO DOING: AND I SEF EVERY ADVANTAGE IN UNDERMINING THEM STILL FURTHER IF WE CAN DO SO DISCREETLY OR ON GOOD GROUNDS.

5. IN SHORT, I BELIEVE WE MUST TRY TO IMPROVE ON THE EAPLY 1967 SITUATION, NOT RETURN TO IT: BUT WE MUST NATURALLY DO SO CAREFULLY.

CO PLEASE PASS PRIORITY PEKING 317.

SIR D. TRENCH.

/REPEATED AS REQUESTED/

DEPARTMENTAL DISTRIBUTION

c.o.

C.O...D.

MPLS

સ

DEPT

I.R.D.

C.O. NEWS DEPT;

DEFENCE DEPT

F.0. F.E.D.

REF.

SECRETC

(SF

19

20/9

FES NO.63

کی ناگهانی خراب بود و

HWIA 9/12

الله

Chessal

6 FEB 9

MOD D.!?

Merger sailin

12/

•

3.

i