from Deputy
the United Kingdom
Page
Deputy Commissioner
General
in
S.E. Asia
TOP SECRET & GUARD
H1191/21/59G
45.
Office of the Commissioner-General
for the United Kingdom
in South-East Asia,
Phoenix Park.
SINGAPORE,
10.
March 14, 1959
This, written in haste in order to catch this morning's bag, refers to your letter F1072/7G of March 5 about the defence of Hong Kong.
2.
FED 82/454/01.
I need not now again go into the substance of the problem but you will like to know that the paper which I
(uu) mentioned in my letter H1191/14/596 of February 16 has been
approved by the B.D.C.C.(F.E.) on the lines which I forecast and has now gone to Hong Kong for the comments of the Governor and his advisers. I agree that we cannot speak to the Americans at present and must wait until we have a final decision on the whole matter. Meanwhile I still think personally that any further military discussions with the Americans should take place out here.
3.
On the immediate question of our attitude to the Washington Working Group I agree with paragraph 6 of your letter. But you should know that Martin is due to be in Singapore on April 7 and 8, and that I shall be seeing him then (Rob Scott will be away). If, therefore, de la Mare does speak to Martin as proposed I should be grateful if I could be told, if necessary by telegram, before he gets here exactly what has been said to him and what you would like me to say or to avoid saying if he raises the subject with me. I should not, I think, raise it on my own initiative.
4.
I am sending copies of this letter to Wallace in the Colonial Office and to de la Mare in Washington. I also enclose an extra copy in case you want to pass it to the Ministry of Defence.
P.G.F. Dalton, Esq., C.M.G.,
Foreign Office,
LONDON, S.W. 1.
Page 62
(A.M. MacKintosh)
Page 62
COPY for DEF 75/51/01: Ong
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.