FO371-46251 — Page 261

BE

WRITTEN

IN THIS

MARGIN.

NOTHING TO

Registry No.

Page 261

In cft form que + 3 flimmer

1 blue

FOREIGN OFFICE,

J.C.S.B.

August 1945.

208

M.

Draft.

Washington

Telegram.

No.

Date.

Cypher. O.T.P.

Special Political Distribution

Repeat to Chungking

No.

Mr. Dening, Kandy.

No.

Copy in draft to Mr. Gent (C.o.) Lt. Col. Nangle

(War office) undercover of ltr.for concurr.

Copy as eventually despatched to Colonial Office

(Mr. Gent) War Office

(Lt.Col Nangle. Lt.Col. Sheridan

C/O Room 17

JC Stimmbah Bennell

Buy 8.

Qc 9/8

SECRET

2.

Despatched

At present Hong Kong is in the operational

sphere of Chiang Kai-shek. We have to be

prepared therefore for the contingency of the

Colony being liberated by Chinese Forces.

It is in that event important that we

should be able to assume the administration

of this British Colony as soon as the

military situation allows, and obtain an

agreement that from the outset of any initial

period of military administration our Civil

Affairs policies should be accepted and that

the Civil Affairs administration should be

conducted by British personnel.

3. At present we have no understanding with

the Chinese Government (as we have with the

U.S. Government under paragraph 6 of the

Charter of the Combined Civil Affairs Committee)

in respect of their acceptance of British

Civil Affairs policies in any British.

territory included in their operational

sphere. An embarrassing situation may

therefore arise in the event of Hong Kong

being liberated by Chinese Forces unless there

is clear agreement with Chiang Kai-shek, in

advance, as to our role in the administration

of Hong Kong.

4.

General Wedemeyer's position as Chief of

Staff to the Generalissimo is such that any

agreement of this nature and the measures

necessary to implement it, would in practice

require/

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