TNAG-0094-FCO40-130-Control-of-immigration-into-UK-from-Hong-Kong-1968 — Page 30

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Subs. (c@bove?

Concerning

I fully understand what Mr. Jackson-Lipkin says about the

anxiety felt by people in Hong Kong about what would happen in

the event of an invasion from the Chinese mainland

for

for that

matter if life was made difficult to some lesser extent. But

at

the difficulty I think is to relate a possible threat/some

time in the future to the normal present day requirements of

control of immigration to the United Kingdom. I do not wish to

minimise dangers but I must say first that there is no reason to

believe that there will be such an invasion. I cannot give any

undertaking about what concessions might or might not be made at

the time of any emergency in the future, since it is impossible

to foresee what the political and other circumstances might be

at the time, both in Hong Kong and elsewhere, and also because

the Home Secretary cannot bind his successors in Office to any

particular course of action. I am quite sure that

Mr. Jackson-Lipkin and people in Hong Kong who are anxious about

their future may rely on the British Government in power at the

time to do everything possible to assist people in Hong Kong who

are placed in difficult circumstances; but the fact that I am

sure of this does not enable me to give an undertaking, now,

that people from Hong Kong will be treated differently from

people in other parts of the Commonwealth by being admitted to

the United Kingdom at any time without restriction.

I hope that you, and Mr. Jackson-Lipkin, will not feel that

this is an unhelpful reply. I quite agree that there is a

problem, but I cannot go further than I have done at the present

time.

I am sending a copy of this letter to John Smith, who has

also spoken to me about Mr. Jackson-Lipkin's letter of

19th September.

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