TNAG-0180-FCO40-216-Planning-for-emergency-evacuation-1969 — Page 11

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evacuation from Hong Kong. Lord Shepherd, speaking to the paper,

explained that it would be impossible, without making detailed

arrangements in advance, to implement any plan for a large scale

evacuation; any attempt to make such arrangements would involve

informing a substantial number of persons in Hong Kong as well as

consulting foreign Governments about transport and reception areas

If such steps were taken, the fact that we were

planning a possible evacuation would inevitably become known in the

Colony and this would have disastrous effects on public confidence

there.

for evacuees.

4. It was also explained to the Committee that difficulties had

already been experienced in dealing with the evacuation issue in

debates in the House of Lords (where the question had been e vaded

by Lord Beswick when it was raised by Lord Moynihan on 22 June, 1967,

and where it was ignored by Lord Shepherd when it was again raised by

Lord Moynihan on 9 November, 1967).

5.

The Committee accordingly agreed:

HUA 164 19 (1)

49

(2)

that we should suspend planning for any large scale

evacuation and rely on mounting a crash operation if the

need arose to evacuate as many vulnerable and sensitive

persons as possible;

that if we were forced to make any public statement on

this matter we should have to say that we were not planning

for evacuation and that we intended to maintain the

authority of the Hong Kong Government and fulfil our

responsibilities and obligations to the Colony.

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