Registry No.
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION
DRAFT
SECRET
Type 1+ 2
FROM
To:-
Top Secret.
Secret.
Confidential.
Restricted.
Unclassified.
PRIVACY MARKING
In Confidence
DRAFT SPEAKING NOTE
FOR SIR D WATSON'S MEETING WITH THE GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG
DEFENCE REVIEW
1.
Telephone No. Ext.
Department
The Governor of Hong Kong will be returning to the United Kingdom in mid-June. Advantage will be taken by the FCO to ascertain his views concerning the effect of the Defence Review on the Crown Colony. I should be grateful if you would put the following points in confidence to Sir M MacLehose for his consideration prior to the discussions in London. With anyone but the Governor himself the line will have to remain that no decisions have been taken and that it would be premature to speculate on the outcome of the Defence Review.
NOTHING TO BE WRITTEN IN THIS MARGIN
2. The stringency demanded of the Defence Review is such that it is extremely unlikely that Hong Kong will not in some measure be affected. The cuts there, however, must not be so drastic as to create a crisis of confidence. The problem therefore is to assess (a) What size of garrison is technically necessary
to do the job?
(b) How a reduction could be achieved without loss
of confidence?
(c) What part of the new cost should be borne by
Hong Kong?
13. Not even preliminary decisions have, of course, been made about cuts, but we might have to consider a
run-down of the following order:
reduction of the garrison by half; withdrawal of the Gurkha battalions;
withdrawl of the Guard ship (though not
the RN patrol vessels).
SECRET
/If
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.