SECRET
attitude of the Hong Kong Government and they demanded not only that drastic action be taken against the KMT celebrations but also against the entry of people and goods from Taiwan. The attached 'letter' from the South China Morning Post is a representative example of the line they were pushing, and a stronger version still was printed in the Ta Kung Pao, concluding as follows:-
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'At the present, Sino-British relations have been fairly good. Top officials in the Hong Kong Government have on various public occasions affirmed their concern for the good relations between China and Britain. But one can't help asking: Wouldn't it be running in the opposition direction to connive at the blatant anti-China activities perpetrated by the Chiang agents?'
To begin with, most of the pressure applied by the communists to get us to bring the KMT to book was indirect. We received several messages from left-connected figures that the NCNA were worried about the possibility of trouble on the Double Tenth, and in the New Territories groups of left- wingers called at District Offices and Police Stations, stating their demands for corrective action against the KMT in stronger language than has been customary in recent years. There was a scuffle at Lau Fau Shan when leftist villagers took the initiative themselves to try and prevent nationalist flags and pai laus being raised. As usual, we could not help feeling that it was those who wished to be seen on the right (or rather left) side of the game who were making more of a fuss than the cadres themselves.
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However, the NCNA did not depart the stage. Their intervention followed naturally from their warnings to Alan Donald
about the danger of some KMT-inspired attempts to cause disturbances during the week of the mourning ceremonies for Chairman Mao (our telegram No 916 of 13 September.) On 16 September, the NCNA told Alan that they had 'overheard' that the KMT would wish to stir up trouble on the 20th anniversary of the 1956 riots. On 5 October, they rang up about the risk of damage to our good relations if the important football match scheduled to be played in the Government Stadium on 10 October was not postponed. A crowd of 30,000 spectators could 'so easily get out of hand'. When Alan suggested that some of the public nervousness at this time might have been induced by the alarmist attitude of the left-wing press, the NCNA spokesman said that be could not agree with this interpretation.
It was not their intention to 'start anything', but they had a duty to 'let the people know'so that they could make suitable prep- arations and be on the alert in case anything happened on the Double Tenth. NCNA Deputy Director Li Chu-sheng himself then took up a further hour of Alan's time on the night of 8 October with the message that the NCNA knew from reliable sources' that KMT elements were out to make a show of strength on the
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