TNAG-0053-FCO40-89-Communist-activities-in-schools-1968 — Page 24

CONFIDENTIAL

to approximately 27,500 which represents some

2.4 per cent of the total school population

as compared with approximately 1.9 per cent

last year.

Views of the Governor:

5. The Governor warned us at the end of

August (Hong Kong telegram 1032) that before

very long he might be obliged to take overt

and fairly direct action, perhaps at short

notice, to curb both the opening of new

schools and the activities of those already

established. He realised that such a course

would almost certainly lead to very sharp

communist reaction, but considered that

this was a consequence which would have to

be accepted. On 10 September he followed up

this warning by giving us the following

details of measures which he had under

consideration for dealing with the situation

(Hong Kong telegram No. 1067):-

(a) The opening of additional government

schools in areas where gaps exist

which could be exploited by new

communist schools. This must,

however, be more of a long term

approach to the problem. Although

there is almost no prospect of

attracting the children of hard

core communist families away from

communist to non-communist schools,

this measure would at least help

to prevent the reverse from

happening.

/(b)

CONFIDENTIAL

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