TNAG-0477-FCO40-542-Strength-of-garrison-in-Hong-Kong-1974 — Page 97

CONFIDENTIAL

Five Power Defence arrangements (paragraph)

Our Commonwealth partners were unanimous in telling

Mr Rodgers that they wished to see us maintain a token force

in the area (the 1968 Healey 100). These would assist

visiting naval and RAF units and handle troops from Hong Kong

or elsewhere doing jungle training in Malaysia. Mr Rodgers

recommended this to the Secretary of State for Defence.

So should we.

Hong Kong (paragraph

>

First the minimum garrison necessary to maintain internal

security must be agreed with the Governor;

then we must try

to persuade the Hong Kong Government to pay as much of the cost

as possible, To suggest, as the report to Ministers does,

that Hong Kong should only get as many troops as they are

willing to pay for is putting the cart before the horse. In

any case the cost of certain intelligence operations must fall

on the UK.

CONFIDENTIAL