TNAG-0943-FCO40-1162-Future-of-Hong-Kong-1980 — Page 305

布政司署

香港下亞畢道

本署檔號 OUR REF.:

TS 7/1162/46

* YOUR REF.:

CONFIDENTIAL

!

HKK040/1

4

GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT

LOWER ALBERT ROAD

HONG KONG

5 February, 1980

8

Оо

Ń Webb - can you prone pl!

8213/2 Mpy

Bu. 10/3

See(9

W E Quantrill Esq

Hong Kong & General Department

F CO

Bill,

по

AW 29/14

1943 WHITEHALL DISCUSSIONS ON HONG KONG

A recent article in a local Chinese newspaper refers to discussions which apparently took place in Whitehall in 1943 about whether to hand back Hong Kong to China after the war. From the article it appears that a paper on policy options was prepared and that this was only made available to the public recently (although under the 30-year rule one would have thought that it had become available earlier).

2.

The local newspaper in question, the Oriental Daily News, is probably not very widely read. Nor have I seen the story picked up elsewhere. Nevertheless, we should assume that the press scanners in the NCNA have picked up the story and repeated it to Peking. It would therefore be useful to know what the 1943 paper said. Could you please ask Research Department to find a copy and send it out.

сс

H L1 Davies Esq

Far Eastern Department

TJ B George Esq Peking

(D C Wilson)

eve

CONFIDENTIAL