FO371-46252 — Page 231

THIS MARGIN.

NI

Page 231

:96

Registry

No. 15589/147/G meer

Draft.

Colonel Price,

Cabinet Offices.

Copy to

Mr. Paskin,

Colonial Office.

17' Boyd Shannon Demon's offer.

Dft it w

chaughing in

•

Fumedwh.

Tef Secret

Dear Price,

་

23 August 1945.

We have been considering Chungking tele-

gram No. 909 with the Colonial Office.

2.

Their view is that it is important that

we should not get into the position of accept-

ing Hong Kong from the Chinese and that it is

unacceptable, therefore, that the British

Officer who takes the surrender should do so

as the delegate of Chiang Kai-shek.

3.

We agree with this view. At the same

time we should like to give some appearance

of meeting Chiang Kai-shek in order to make

it easier for him to accept the position. The

only concession we can suggest is based on

the assumption that a surrender document will

be signed in Hong Kong. In that event

we suggest that the document should be based, as regoods rignatures,

on the model of the Act of Military Surrender

signed at Berlin on May 8th 1945, but that the

Japanese shall sign "in the presence of"

the Commander of the British Force only,

other Allied representatives present signing

afterwards as being "present as witnesses".

Whether this is practicable or not depends

on the capacity in which the Commander of

the British Force will sign, i.e. whether

he would sign on behalf of H.M.G. in the U.K.

as the offer specified in berceral Order No 1. or on behalf of the Supreme Commander, General

he

MacArthur. If the Chiefs of Staff are

prepared for him to signs in the latter

only

capacity, this would appear to obviate

any difficulty not only vis a vis Chiang Kai-

NOTHING

TO

BE

WRITTEN

Page 231

shek....

Page 231

Page 231