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Sir R. Scott
Х
It was important to have an alternative airfield to Tengah and by the time Tengah was fully developed we might not be able to use Butterworth. Labuan Airfield should therefore be developed as an alternative airfield. A staging post and Wireless Communications Centre should be developed in the Sandakan area.
These changes should be made in the closest consultation with the Australians or under joint British/Australian control. The result would be less dependence on Malaya and a gradual decrease in importance of Singapore in our defence plans.
He
He considered that the future of Malaya was uncertain. believed that there might be a strong reaction by the Chinese community to the policy of the present Malayan Government, particularly the attempt to turn the Chinese into Malayans. If the Chinese joined the Left Wing they would form a formidable opposition in the 1963 Elections. The opposition was likely to fight these elections on one of two planks: educational reform to allow the Chinese their own schools; and a promise to amend the Defence Agreement. The present government, if re-elected, would not weaken on the first of these points, and might therefore be compelled to compromise with regard to the Defence Agreement. If the opposition won the Election, the attempt to put their election promises into effect might even lead to Civil War. either case the British forces might be asked to remain in Malaya. The general feeling was so uncertain, however, that it seemed an unwise policy for us to continue to make Singapore our main base. Meanwhile, we had no option but to continue with our "Southern Deployment" plan in Malaya.
Sir F. Festing
Y
In
It was important to maintain a strong garrison in Hong Kong and he believed that the eight major units at present in the Colony should remain there permanently.
It was still undecided whether there would be two Commissioners in Singapore under the new Constitution.
It was probable, however, that both the Commissioner General and the High Commissioner for the U.K. in Singapore would be retained.
SIR FRANCIS FESTING suid that he grund that one and one-third Divisions was perhaps too large a force for the permanent garrison. Ideally we should be free to put forces into the Malacca Cantonment and withdraw them as we wished. This was, however, unrealistic and he doubted whether we would be allowed by the Malayans to increase the garrison in Malaya once we had allowed it to run down. He agreed also that a base should be set up in North Borneo but would prefer to have a brigade there permanently. The indications were that we should be able to remain there for at least twenty years.
The Hong Kong garrison should be kept at eight major units. He believed that, whereas the Colony might have been indefensible with conventional high explosive weapons, the advent of tactical nuclear weapons had altered the position and, provided the Chinese wished to occupy Hong Kong and were not therefore prepared to destroy it, it should be possible to defend the Colony successfully.
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