TNAG-0179-FCO40-215-Strength-of-Hong-Kong-Garrison-1970 — Page 123

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permanent force and, in default of some arrangement for sharing

its cost, will have to be content with training flights.

4.

I therefore recommend that 1-

(a) we are non-committal as to whether the scale of visite

proposed (1.e. about twenty days a year by various types

of aircraft see paragrapha 7 and 16 of COS paper) can

be regarded as adequate for the Governor's purpose,

making the point that this must depend very largely on

the Governor's views and that we shall have to consult

him;

(b)

we might enquire how the proposed scale of training

flights compares with the frequency of visits of

mircraft from Singapore since 1967;

(0) we agree with the limited training operations envisaged

for much aircraft in the Colony (as set out in the last

sentence of paragraph 6 of the paper and the first two

sentences of paragraph 8);

(a) we recognise that, if a decision is reached not to

reposition aircraft in the Colony, there will be a

period after the withdrawal of Hunter aircraft from

Singapore in March 1970 and before training flights

commence in 1972 when visits of aircraft to Hong Kong

will be difficult to arrange.

hope that possible

arrangements for this period can be studied as propo neć

in paragraph 15.

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