TNAG-0477-FCO40-542-Strength-of-garrison-in-Hong-Kong-1974 — Page 92

ля,

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PS/Lorg/Goronwy-Rober

Private Secretary

SECRET

Return to

62A

Fidelity of Whats".

Sir J. Lo

け

The Grawen

+P.W. 13/8

DEFENCE REVIEW: HONG KONG

1. Hong Kong could not exist without its garrison. The present force of 63 major units (battalions), of which

3 battalions are Gurkhas, is the largest British force outside the NATO area. The present garrison in its present role relies on reinforcement facilities, including Gan and Masirah, and continuance of a Gurkha component. Some reduction of the garrison is possible if its role is reduced to that of an

internal security force. Such reduction is sensible in present circumstances.

2.

The key passage on Hong Kong in the Defence Review Steering Committee's report which has been submitted to Ministers reads: "The Hong Kong Government should be asked

to meet the whole cost of such forces as they wished to see retained." The Permanent Under-Secretary opposed this formulation, but the Treasury insisted. There are two things wrong with it:-

a. The Governor of Hong Kong has advised that the

way to get Hong Kong to pay the largest feasible sum is to present a professional military assessment of the size and shape of garrison needed for internal security purposes, and to ask them to bear a larger proportion of the cost than at present, citing financial stringency in the UK.

If we simply told Hong Kong that they could have no more than they cared to pay for, this would be stubbornly resisted on the grounds that it was an abdication of HMG's responsibility for the territory.

SECRET

/ b.