TNAG-0059-FCO40-95-Strength-of-Hong-Kong-garrison-1968 — Page 144

SECRET

22

MOD Copy No ... of 60 copies

CINCFE.2944/6090/16

Chief of the Defence Staff

Headquarters

Far East Command Phoenix Park c/o GPO Singapore

21 July 1967

Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee

Ministry of Defence

36A/2

Main Building

Whitehall

London, SW1

HONG KONG

1. I flew up to Hong Kong on Sunday, July 16th, accompanied by the Commander, Far East Air Force, and stayed with the Officer Administering the Government, Mr Michael Gass, with

I whom I discussed the situation at length that evening. spent the following morning, 17th July, in discussions with him and CBF Hong Kong, being briefed by the latter and his subordinate commanders. After a visit to HMS TAMAR in the afternoon, I went to Colony Police Headquarters and was given a full briefing on the current situation. The rest of the day was spent in discussion with CBF, joined at one stage by the Deputy Commissioner of Police and the Head of Special Branch and, when discussing Air Force matters, by the Air Commander. On 18th July I had a final discussion alone with the Officer Administering the Government, visited 48 Gurkha Brigade, in the course of which I was given a full briefing by officers of the units manning the frontier and of the administration and police in the New Territories, and visited the main police station just outside Sha Tau Kok. Before departing at the end of that morning I visited 2/7th Gurkha Rifles and discussed the situation in Kowloon with the Commander, Hong Kong and Kowloon Garrison, spoke to the Press and had a final brief. word with CBF who had spent the morning attending the weekly meeting of the Executive Council.

Internal Situation

2. The difficulty facing the authorities in Hong Kong is to decide the right balance between pessimism and optimism. Three principal factors determine both strategy and tactics. The first is public confidence and police morale, which are closely connected with each other. They are maintained and

but they uplifted by positive action against trouble-makers; are delicate and sensitive plants, which can quickly fade or wither unless they are constantly nourished by successful action. The recent raids on communist trade union strongholds quickly restored a morale which had undoubtedly fallen low as a result of the frontier incidents and of the lack of positive action within the Colony against the promoters of trouble.

3. It must be recognised, however, that there are two other The factors which set limits to successful positive action. first is that the next obvious targets for police action are the organisations (and the premises which belong to them) which

Page 1 of 8 pages

SECRET