FO371-46251 — Page 44

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54145/2/45. PERSONAL AND

CONFIDENTIAL

2456

| 23 AFF

کیاست

A Me

19th April, 1945.

19

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Dear Sterndale Bennett,

As you know, MacDougall, Head of the Hong Kong Planning Unit, has recently visited China where he had talks with the Ambassador, General Hayes and others. He went primarily to consider questions of personnel for staffing the Civil Affairs Administration during the period of the military occupation of Hong Kong.

MacDougall has reported that many Hong Kong Chinese Government Servants, who are at present in China, particularly Doctors, Nurses, Dressers, etc. are now engaged in work directly connected with the war effort in China and he expects considerable difficulty in securing Exit Permits for them from the Chinese Government. These personnel will be required for duty in Hong Kong and to this end will probably be wanted at some assembly point outside China prior to resumption of duty in the Colony, even if they are not required at an earlier date for special training in India or elsewhere. We are anxious therefore, to secure, if possible, an assurance from the Chinese Authorities that Chinese Hong Kong Civil Servants now in China will be granted Exit Permits when required.

C.H. Sansom, Chief Commissioner of Police Designate, Hong Kong, has just arrived in India to take up with the Government of India the question of training police personnel. With the permission of the Embassy and Major-General Hayes (obtained by the War Office) we have instructed Sansom to proceed in due course to Kunming in order to confer with Ride on

security

J.C. Sterndale Bennett, Esq., CMG,

CMG, MC.

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