position and pur authority in the Colony.
When the withdrawal of our forces from the
Far East has been completed, the Hong Kong garrison will be several thousand miles away
from its nearest source of reinforcement.
This is bound to have an effect on the morale
of the Colony and Her Majesty's Government will, I suggest, be in duty bound to take every possible step, not only to sustain that
morale but to let it be seen that they have a
and its people real concern for the wellbeing of the Colony. Any lack in the military effectiveness of a
small fighter presence would be far outweighed by the psychological effect that such a presence would have on local confidence.
I accordingly strongly support the arguments
set out by the Governor in his Despatch and
ask that they be fully taken into account in
the study of this problem which is now being undertaken in your Ministry.
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