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sustaining public onorate the value
poychological effect of a small fighter
presence would be considerable, even though
no dubt its military ineffectiveness would be apparent to those who are in a position to exercise a critical judgment.
X Finally, I feel I should mention an
aspect of the R.A. F. rundown in Hong Kong
which has in earlier defence reviews caused
the Foreign Office and ourselves some anxiety. We (and the Americans) attach great importance to Hong Kong as a centre of operations for the gathering of intelligence
on China. The R.A.F. presence in the
Colony has up to now served as a cover for
our radar and communication interception
facilities there. In a situation in which
R.A.F. planes are neither stationed in Hong Kong nor visit it with any frequency, that cover looks like being very thin indeed. It is possible that our cover fools no-one
on the other side of the border; but in the
aftermath of the "Pueblo" incident it seems
desirable that we should have a plausible explanation of these activities for public consumption. Y
Comed
we
Accordingly, strongly support the arguments set out by the Governor in his Saving Despatch and ask that, together with the points I have made above, they be fully taken into account in the study of this problem which is now being undertaken in
your Ministry. [ Take in
clip]
I am sending a copy of this letter to William Rodgers in the Foreign Office.
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