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Minute
Defence Secretary
Secretary of State
Copy to:
Commonwealth
Secretary
I have seen a copy of the Commonwealth
Secretary's letter of 27 March about the
stationing of fighter aircraft in Hong Kong
in the long term and of your reply of 4 April.
2. I fully endorse the views put forward
by the Commonwealth Secretary, and am glad
to see that in the study which your Department
is undertaking, the political arguments which
he adduces will be taken fully into account.
In my view they are cogent enough to justify
the deployment of fighter aircraft in Hong
Kong in accordance with the normal practice
by which our defence policy forms part of our
overseas policy as a whole. In the case of
Hong Kong, in particular, I do not think it
is realistic to seek to isolate a uniquely
military role for a services presence which
is a buttress for our position in all its
aspects.
3. I should like to take up the point
regarding the difficulty of reinforcing the
Colony with fighters from the United Kingdom
which the Commonwealth Secretary made in his
letter and to which you referred in paragraph
4 of your reply. In my view the issue is this:
in the absence of a regular fighter force in
Hong Kong the despatch of aircraft from the
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