FO371-41657 — Page 15

Page 15

Minutes.

13A

I dont want to add unnecessarily to his mainter

a. F.A.. pp. about the

pomit

that the real

facture of Hong kons.

a kat lúc cessin

as in mush be, shobe noh a

appeasement to China, tan

But I suggest

when it is mads,

fubile gestue of

a contritališk to

anangements for mitermalishal security.

Page 15

NOTHING

TO

BE

WRITTEN

IN

THIS

MARGIN.

Circulate as marked.

い

(I regret delay but the

Jound.

8%.

26

problem has still to matura!)

such a

are

are convinced

*

The principal danger of shelving the Hongkong issue until after the war is that it gives Japan good opportunity to throw in an apple of discord among the Allies in the last stage of the war. In present circumstances Chiang Kai-shek probably does not wish to raise the question, but his hand might be forced if Japan were to allow Wang Ching-wei to declare Hongkong restored to China and hoist the Chinese flag over it. The Japanese

only likely to do this when they they are going to lose Honglong anyway, but the time will presumably come when they see they can't keep it for themselves, though they it as a political time-bomb to leave behind them. Legally, of course, the "annexation "would have no effect whatever, but politically it would be hard for Chiang to be outdone in patriotic irredention by Wang or to pull down the Chinese flag on Hongkong after it had once

flown there; he may be expected, therefore, however illogically, to try to take over from Wang or the Jap garrison and might even dare is to evict the Chinese troops by force, relying

outery

in America which such a clash would

the

occasion.

can use

on

To avert the risk of being this overtaken by a fait accompli, would it not be better to

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