FO371-46251 — Page 240

O.L

BE

WRITTEN

IN

THIS

MARGIN.

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Page 240

Registry No.

J.C.S.B.

Draft.

Mr. Foulds, TERMINAL.

En Gate w

(with two

Fix Fraud frm Hamand No g. 1944.

Many

my fold.

July 28.

J4x13

No. 10.

Toh Seenel

My dear Foulds,

FOREIGN OFFICE, S.W. 1.

July 1945.

191

I enclose a copy of a letter which Sir G.

Gater is sending by today's bag to Sir A.

Cadogan about Hong Kong. It arises out of the

information communicated to our Chiefs of Staff

by the U.S. Chiefs of Staff, at their first

meeting at TERMINAL, to the effect that a

Chinese offensive was being prepared with the

object of advancing in the direction of Canton

and possibly later to Hong Kong.

2

Up till the opening of the Potsdam

Conference there had been no indication as to

the moment or the manner of the recapture of

Hong Kong. As part of the Chinese mainland it

is in Chiang Kai-shek's theatre of command.

Nevertheless, until just recently, it has seemed

that the most likely way in which it would be

recaptured was by a seaborne operation by the

Americans; or conceivably by ourselves after

arrangement with the Americans, seeing that any

British expedition would have to pass through

the American theatre.

3

Colonial Office plans for the resumption

of the administration of Hong Kong have hitherto

been based on the assumption that its recapture

would be by American or British forces. Theycare

now faced unexpectedly with the necessity of

coming to some arrangement with Chiang Kai-shek;

and we agree with them that the opportunity of

TERMINAL ought to be taken, if possible, to

ensure that our attempts to reach such an

arrangement do not meet with obstruction from

the American side and particularly Gene ral

frany

NOTHING

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Wedemeyer./

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