TNAG-0058-FCO40-94-Armed-Forces-exercise-Caricature-1967 — Page 55

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SECRET

(b) The press were told on 26 January

(paragraph 6 of Hong Kong telegram No. 153)

that this amphibious exercise was to take

place. It attracted little attention.

But, because of developments in China,

there is an unusually large number of

foreign correspondents in Hong Kong, as

well as a B.B.C. team. It might be

possible to dissuade the British press

from playing up this exercise; but this

is by no means certain, and the foreigners

would write it up as they wished.

(c) The Chinese would in any case know of the

exercise and become aware of its nature.

In commenting on likely Chinese reactions

in his telegram No. 142 (attached),

Hopson

Chargé d'Affai

சே in Poking admits that

it is, at this stage, difficult to say what

these would be, but considers we might get

away with it provided there is no American

participation. However, he gives various

reasons for concluding also that the risk

of a violent Chinese reaction cannot be

excluded. We consider hat there is

a very real risk that the Chinese would

regard a large military exercise of this

nature in Hong Kong at this time as a

military provocation and that, for this

reason alone, they would react vilently to

it. The present extreme phase of the

Cultural Revolution, the recent successful

pressure exerted on the Portuguese in

Macao and the fierce action currently being

taken by the Chinese in Peking against

foreign Embassies and their personnel

SECRET

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