CO_968_580_DEFENCE_OF_HONG_KONG_1957_1959 — Page 94

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Annex to JP(57)165(Revised Final)

MEASURES TO MEET THE THREAT TO HONG KONG FROM COMMUNIST CHINA POLITICAL ASSUMPTIONS AND PLANNING PROCEDURE

Draft memorandum by the Chiefs of Staff

As a result of talks in August, 1957, between the Minister of Defence, the British Defence Co-ordination Committee ( Far East) and the Governor of Hong Kong, concerning the defence of the Colony, consideration was given to the advisability of initiating talks on this subject with the United States at a political level. The matter was raised by the Prime Minister during his visit to the United States in October, 1957

Amend he and, as a result, an Anglo-American Working Group was set up We up to

tasks.

in Washington/to examine combined measures for the defence of Hong Kong, The Working Group's first task was to reach an agreed estimate of the "Subversive and Military Threats to Hong Kong from Communist China up to the end of 1962". has now been done.

2.

This

The next stage is to discuss measures to meet the military threat.

3. In September, 1956, informal staff talks took place between the Commander, British Forces, Hong Kong, and the United States Commander-in-Chief, Pacific, with a view to examining the problem of the defence of Hong Kong against overt Chinese aggression in conditions short of global war up to 1960. When forwarding the results of these talks, the British Defence Co-ordination Committee (Far East) recommended that the following political assumptions should be examined and confirmed by Her Majesty's Government:-

(a) The United Kingdom intends to resist aggression

against Hong Kong in whatever form it may come

(b) The United States is not prepared to see Hong

Kong fall into Communist hands.

(c) There would be continuing and close alignment of Anglo-American policies permitting co- operation in planning for the defence of Hong Kong.

(a) Both the United Kingdom and United States

Governments are prepared to see nuclear weapons used in the defence of the Colony.

The Minister of Defence agreed to the resumption of talks on the basis of the above assumptions, without commit- ment to Governments. As a result of the discussions referred to at paragraph 1 above, however, authority to resume the staff talks was subsequently withdrawn.

The

4. We have discussed with the Foreign Office and the Colonial Office the procedure we should now follow. objective on the United Kingdom side is that we should secure a commitment from the United States that the British position in the Colony should be maintained with United States support.

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