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3. As Johnston said in his letter, this business raises a mixture of political and financial problems of some difficulty. It cannot be denied that there la is a risk that public opinion in Hong Kong will exert pressure for the diversion or the defence contribution to other purposes, but it remains our earnest intention and the Governor'e to avoid that unhappy result by playing this along with some care. Daring hie visit to London the Governor made it clear that for local political reasons he would have to be able to demonstrate to informed public opinion in the Colony, and especially t the unofficial members of Legislative Council and Finance Committee, that something practical was being done by the outside world, and particularly by Her Majesty's Government, to help Hong Kong in solving the problem of the Chinese refugees mentioned in Johnston's letter. debate on this subject is due to take place in the United Nations General Assembly in the next few weeks; some assistance might come out of that, but it is not thought probable. The probably unfavourable result of that debate would be tolerated by the unofficials in Hong Kong if they felt that ller kajesty's Government
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A
/were
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e 43 of 85
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