TNAG-0180-FCO40-216-Planning-for-emergency-evacuation-1969 — Page 24

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Flag Con HWB. 10/4.

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PT.O. Это

would be impossible, without making detailed

arrangements in advance, to implement any out-

line plan for a large scale evacuation from

Hong Kong; and that any attempt to make such

arrangements would involve informing a substan-

tial number of persons in Hong Kong as well as

consulting foreign Governments about transport

and reception areas for evacuees, If such steps

were taken, the fact that we were planning a

possible evacuation would inevitably become

would known in the Colony and this will have disas-

trous effects on public confidence there.XIt

was also explained to the Committee that diffi-

culties had already been experienced in dealing

with the evacuation issue in debates in the

House of Lords (where the question had been

evaded 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,

5.

Z The Committee accordingly agreed:

1967) Y

(1) 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.

(2) that if we were forced to make any public

statement on this matter we should have to

say that we were not planning for evacua-

tion and that we intended to maintain the

authority of the Hong Kong Government and

fulfil our responsibilities and obligations

to the Colony. The reply returned by the

Governor to Lord Blyton's question, which

is referred to in paragraph of the

attached telegram, was in accordance with

this decision.

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