TNAG-0477-FCO40-542-Strength-of-garrison-in-Hong-Kong-1974 — Page 194

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MINISTER OF STATE FOR DEFENCE

Note for the Record

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The Governor and Commander-in-Chief, Hong Kong

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Sir D Watso

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Mr Thomson

Mr Jackson

Sir Murray MacLehose, called on the Minister of Statebat 12. 15 p.m. on Monday 17 June 1974.

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2. After a general discussion the Minister of State turned to the Defence Review. He said that it was difficult to provide

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a convincing public justification for our presence in Hong Kong since most people recognised that in the event of a determined Chinese attack the Colony was indefensible. Nonetheless, the Government was formally committed to the maintenance of the present status of Hong Kong. Minister of State asked what the Governor saw as the main arguments for stationing forces in

Hong Kong and whether any of the present elements in the force level could be said to be more significant.

3. The Governor said that the forces in Hong Kong had a real job of work and were not "just for show". In 1967 in what was basically an internal security operation, all 63rds units had been fully deployed and an extra unit had been sent as reinforcement. This force level had proved just adequate to the task and he believed that this should be a point of departure for any consideration of future force levels for Hong Kong. If the British presence were withdrawn or considerably reduced, the trouble-makers in Hong Kong, not all of whom owed their allegiance to the People's Republic, would sense a vacuum which they would not be slow to fill.

It was important to recognise that the Chinese had long been accustomed to being run by armies and that the absence of Army units would create questions and ideas which did not now exist. Since 1967 there had been developments affecting the external threat to the Colony. China was now a member of the United Nations and our relations were very greatly improved. The external threat to Hong Kong had therefore very greatly diminished and he felt that

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