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5. The above is the background against which we
would have to ask Hong Kong unofficials to consider a
request that they should increase their defence contri-
bution of £1 million towards the cost of a reduced
garrison. It is unthinkable that I should ask the
Governor to use his official majority in Legislative
Council to enforce this. The Governor has advised that
to do so would cause things to be said that would shake
our position in the Colony to the foundations.
It can
only be done with unofficial concurrence, and here again ·
to fill in some more background we have to realise
that opinion in Hong Kong is resentful and critical towards H.M.G. because of its failure to give financial
assistance over another of Hong Kong's international
problems - refugees, (They feel intensely about this contrasting the aid for Hungary raised in U.K. with our leaving it to Hong Kong to look after a problem which they think is much more a British one than is Hungary).
will make it difficult enough for the Governor to maintain
his present defence contribution, and the Governor's proposals, which you summarise in paragraph 8 of your minute, were designed to enable him to persuade the
Council to maintain this and to bear some of the cost of
the extra units. If you consider that it is a bad
bargain for the War Office to release their holdings
in the dockyard (the title to some of which seems very
obscure) it would of course not make the Governor of
This
Hong Kong's
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