TNAG-1559-FCO40-2123-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-and-passports-Hong-Kong-(Br-1986 — Page 77

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British administration. Through no fault of their own this state of affairs will cease on 30th June 1997, and they will henceforth be subject to the laws not of a British administration but an alien rule. These individuals of whom we write recognised their obligation to Britain in its time of need and now seek British recognition in their time of need.

It would be an under-statement to say that the reply received was most disappointing. It has caused much concern, and hurt, and we hope that you will pursue the matter further with much vigour. We wish to ensure that you are aware of the genuine worries of those concerned and that you will do all you can to bring their plight to the attention of organizations and persons in the highest level in the United Kingdom. It is not our inten- tion to irk you by being repetitive as you are, no doubt, aware of some of the worries, but to add force to our representation we attach photostats of extracts taken from local newspapers. We emphasize that those concerned are vitally interested and most alarmed over the change of national status and feel that their case is one which deserves much more consideration by the Secretary of State than is shown in his reply.

In further support of our representation we bring to your notice an extremely important aspect of the matter which, in our view, is directly opposite to the view now taken by Her Majesty's Government and which appears to have been overlooked with the passage of 40 years since the end of World War II. As we recall, at the end of the hostilities in Europe, thousands of Poles, Czecks and other Europeans who joined the British Armed Forces and fought for the Allies were given the opportunity, in recognition of their services, to become British citizens. Many availed themselves of this offer. The same reward was also bestowed on similar aliens.

who enlisted in the American Armed Forces. Winston Churchill's words on this topic are of significance "I had told the House of Commons that if there were Polish soldiers who had fought on our side and did not want to go back, we would take them into the British Empire" (see his "The Second World War" vol. Vl, p.565).