U.K. YES ONLY
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Security Considerations
7. The overriding security requirement precludes any effective planning on the lines indicated in paragraph 5. To produce any priority lists that would be noaningful (i.o. up-to-dato and including addresses) it would be necessary to call on the continuing services of a number of officials in Hong Kong. Aroa Wardons could not be expected to discharge their duties successfully unless appointed in advance and given some advance information of their functions. Any realistic planning for assembly and evacuation areas and for mobilisation of civil transport must involve a large number of persons than is permissible having knowledge of the scheme. Moreover, arrangements for temporary transit and reception centres for large numbers would entail some advance discussion with other administrations e.g. tho
Similar Philippine and Singapore Governments and the Taiwan authorities. considerations would also prevent any officially directed or sponsored” wooding out of dopendants in advance of a general evacuation (although it is possible that many would already have been sent out by firms and individuals acting on their own initiative). Consequently, the operation could only be a very limited one, capable of being notified to those concerned, and implemented, in a short space of time. The time factor is of particular importance. Any interval botween evacuees being notified and actually getting away must be minimal becauso news of the evacuation could only aggravate the internal
security situation.
The likely Hong Kong Situation
8.
Whereas in normal evacuation exercises elsewhore little rogard need be paid to the impact of the departures, the overriding need to maintain public confidenco in Hong Kong requires that evacuation should be deferred until the last possible momont. By that time, whether ovacuation was necessary because of invasion by the Chinese or because the internal security situation had deteriorated to an intolerable extent, conditions in the built-up areas of Hong Kong and Kowloon, whore most of the potential ovacuees livo, would be chaotic. It is probable that trans, busos, forries and taxis would be out of servico and that the streets would be so crowded with poople that privato cars would have difficulty in moving; it is also by no means inconceivable that Communist mobs, smolling victory and swolled by recruits to the winning sido, would be out in pursuit of a number of the people who were to be ovacuated. In such circumstances, any large-scale mov movement of evacuocs would be impossible. Nor would it be practicable for ovacuoos to collect at onbarkation points since any congregation of people would at once attract a crowd whost attitude might well bo hostilo.
/dangers
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