TOP SECRET
designated officers on the day ovacuation is ordorod;
most of theso
officers would havo no prior knowledge of what they would be expected to do.
12.
The secret of this plan has boon woll kopt in Hong Kong although its
oxistanco has boon known to a number of government officers.
It is
arguablo, thorofore, that wo night safely oxtond the knowledge of any plan
within Hong Kong a littlo widor than the limits now laid down. Wo think
this risk might be worth taking if, by doing so, wo could produce an
offoctivo plan. But our conclusion is that no plan can be produced that
has any chance of effective implementation unless it includes detailed
proparation on the ground and advanco knowledge on the part of all those who
aro concornod in carrying it out, and oven then, for the reasons given in
paragraph 9, its success would bo doubtful.
Conclusions
13. (a) Consistent with the security requirononts laid down, only an
outline plan of very limited offcctivonoss can be prepared for cvacuation,
whothor of large or small nunbors. In practico it scoms almost certain
that in the circumstancos envisaged tho most that we could do would be to
ovacuato a very small numbor of persons whose oscape was ossontial cithor
for socurity reasons or because they wore particularly vulnorable.
(b) An outline plan for large-scale cvacuation might succood in
circumstances of negotiated withdrawal, in which time was availablo to
improviso dotailod arranṛomonts when evacuation was ordorod. It could not
bo successful in conditions of onforcod withdrawal.
(c) In the case of an enforcod withdrawal, a limited evacuation of
vory vulnorable people (with thoir families) by such Servico transport as
was available at the time (perhaps with American assistance) would probably
bo possiblo. The majority of those poople would bo of Chinoso raco.
But, subject to dotailed study, it would not scom possible that the total
numbers could oxcood about 2,000 and thoro could be no quarantoo that ovon
they could bo got away. Any such operation would have to bo v ry quick
and vory simplo and would bost bo carried out at night. In addition to tho
TOP SECRET
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.