CO_968_583_DEFENCE_OF_HONG_KONG_1957_1959 — Page 261

(74) on DEF.75/51/02

Page 261

protection of British shipping and the

Page 261

patrolling of coastal waters.

5.

What all of this amounts to is that

British forces in Hong Kong have been run down to

the minimum necessary to maintain local confidence

and to assist in the maintenance of internal

security. There can be no question that the

defend the Colony for long against a ditelemmend C.B.F. would find it possible to cover the chinese attack on even t

1

Sheh

evacuation of civilians in an extreme emergency,

and in fact a calculated risk is being taken that

such an emergency would not arise.

relating to evacuated in

Revision of

his directive in this respect will have to be

undertaken in the near future.

6.

When the Governor saw the Chiefs of Staff

Rakya

and Defence Committee in/August 1957 he was

concerned about the cumulative effect of the force

withdrawals and the general weakening of Britain's

position in the Far East on our ability to

maintain ourselves in Hong Kong. He had

previously proposed that in order to maintain

local confidence, which was fundamental to the

maintenance of internal security in the Colony,

two of the four artillery units which formed part

of the long-term order of battle in Malaya, but

for whom accommodation there was unlikely to be

five

available for another four years, should be

stationed in Hong Kong, and indicated that if

this could be done he would be prepared to

maintain his defence contribution of £1 million,

rather than, as seemed logical, reduce it in view

of the reductions that had taken place in the

garrison strength. Defence Com:ittee, however,

at their meeting on the 30th May 1957, were not

prepared to sanction the stationing of the

artillery regiments unless the Governor of

Page 261 /Hong Kong