TNAG-0056-FCO40-92-Evacuation-plan-1967 — Page 172

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Mr Corter

Mr. Hell

Hong Kong: Evacuation

a proposol

The Commander-in-Chief, Far East, has put forward

Jor

for approval by Chiefs of Staff the preparation of a

contingency plan for a very limited evacuation from Hong

Kong of those who would be particularly vulnerable to

Chinese retaliation or pressures.

The plan would cover

specialist intelligence personnel, certain members of the

Police Force (particularly Special Branch) and loyal Chinese

prominently identified with the British connection.

proposal has the agreement of the Governor.

The

2.

I recommend that the proposal be approved.

3. Evacuation plans for Hong Kong date back to the early

1950s. They are out-of-date and useless in present

circumstances. We consider, in any case, that only a very

limited evacuation is realistic or practicable today.

4. When the plan came up for revision in 1963-64, the

Governor, supported by Chiefs of Staff, argued strongly that

a general evacuation was totally unrealistic and that an

evacuation limited to non-Chinese elements of the population

was morally indefensible, undesirable and, in most

circumstances, impracticable.

To attempt an evacuation

before or after the onset of hostile Chinese action would

have a rapid and disastrous effect on public and police

morale in Hong Kong and lead immediately to a serious

internal security situation which our Security Forces would

not be able to contain; in these circumstances, the

Security Forces would be inadequate to cover an evacuation.

China has the capacity to bring overwhelming military force

to bear on Hong Kong and therefore to make any evacuation

impossible after it had taken a decision to take over the

it would be folly in these circumstances to attempt

Colony;

evacuation.

15. Furthermore,

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