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Foreign Office, S.P. 1.
3rd August 1945.
198
F 5569/1147/0.
MOST IMMEDIATE.
TOP SECRET.
Dear Price,
We have been considering Chungking telegram No. 909 with the Colonisi Office.
2. Their view is that it is laportant that we should not get into the position of accepting 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-snek.
3. We agree with this view. At the same time we should like to give some appearence of meeting Chiang Kai-shek in order to make it easier for him to accept the position. The only concession we con suggest is based on the assumption that a surron- der document ill be signed in Hong Kong. In that event we suggest that the document should be based, as regards signatures, on the model of the Act of Military Surrender signed at Berlin on May 8th 1:45, but that the Jepraese shell 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 Cousender of the British Force will sign, i.e. hether he would
sign....
Colonel C.h. Price,
Chiefs of Staff Secretariat,
Cabinet Offices.
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