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SECOND REVISED AGENDUM:*

NUCLEAR POLICY

Consideration of Preliminary Draft Paper

(Signed) N.C.C. TRENCH

J.R. STEPHENS

Х

Cabinet Office, S.7.1.

7th September 1967

Please note this replaces the Agenda on Hong Kong which is

now being taken on Monday, 11th September at 10.30 a.m.

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THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROFERRECHER ARIENNIC MAJESTY'S GOVERNÁ

ARCHIVES NG: B1

1 1 SEPIDE

OPDO(DR)(67) 36th ¡beting

COPY NO. 11

CABINET

DEFENCE AND OVERSEA POLICY (OFFICIAL) COLLIRTEE

DEFENCE REVIEW WORKING PARTY

KINUTES of a Neoting of the Working Party held in Conference Room 'B',
Cabinet Office, S.W.1, 14 on WEDNESDAY, 5th SEPTEMBER 1967 at 2.30 p.m.

¡ir. R.A. Sykes,

Foreign Office

PRESENT:

Ifr. P. Rogers,

Cabinet Office (In the Chair)

Group Captain W. Kent Ministry of Defence

Ir. E., Rose,

Cabinet Office

Ir. P. cholls,

Treasury

Kr. 7.S. Carter

THE FOLLOWING WERE ALSO FRESENT:

Commonwealth Office

Mr. E. Bolland,

Foreign Office

ir. P. Cooper,

4

Ministry of Defence

SECRETARY:

ifr. N.C.C. Tronch

SUBJECT

HONG KONG

SECRET

FOG KUNG

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THE CHAIRMAN said that he had called the meeting to enable him to convey
to members of the Working Party the general sense of the discussion on
our relations with China on 5th September in the Defence and Oversea
Folicy Committee. Hinisters recognised the conflicting factors which
must govern policy vis-a-vis China and Hong Kong on the one hand, the
need not to prejudice the position of the office of the British Charge
d'Affaires in Peking, and on the other, the necessity for showing
firmness and maintaining control in Hong Kong. To do this, the situation
needed to be kept under constant and careful review. Everything
necessary must be done to hold the situation in Hong Kong, but possible
repercussions on our staff in Peking and their dependants must be borne
in mind. This feeling amongst Ministers did not mean that every decision
need be put up to the Committee. On the contrary, it should normally be
possible to settle most problems bilaterally between the Foreign Office
and the Commonwealth Office, after consultation with the Ministry of
Defense as appropriate, and subject to referance to the Ministers in
charge of those Departments on all issues of particular

political delicacy.

In discussion, it emerged that there was no conflict between the
Departments concerned about the desirability of preserving a balance, so
far as possible, between the two factors involved. So far as procedure
was concerned, it seemed inevitable that Ministers would shortly have to
be consulted again, both about action against the Press in Hong Kong and
about the possible need to prescribe the death penalty for carrying
bombs.

As regards reinforcing the garrison of Hong Kong for the Chinese New
Year, the Committee were informed that the Ministers had not taken a
decision at their meeting on whether reinforcements were to be sent
before trouble started, or only in the event of trouble arising, but had
instruoted that this be further considered as a matter of urgency. The
present position was that one extra battalion was already in Hong Kong
and that the Commandor- in-Chief, Far East, wished it to stay there
until after 10th October. He had been asked whether he wanted further
reinforcements and his reply was

awaited. The view was expressed that there might be political advantage
in having an extra unit in the Colony before the period when trouble vas

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likely to arise both in order to demonstrate our determination to act
firmly and so that there would be no delay in bringing in reinforcements
if trouble arose, thus permitting their further exacerbation. One
possible solution,

if any units in Hong Kong were due for relief, might be to bring the
ralioving unit into Hong Kong before the out-going one loft.so that both
were present over the period of Chinese celebrations in October.

Summing up the discussion, THE CHALUMAN recalled that Hinisters had boon
inclined to feel that prevention was botter than oure. The Ministry of
Defence should consult the Foreign Office and Commonwealth Office when
the Commander-in-Chief's reply had been received and should keep tho

Treasury informed of developments.

The Working Party

Invited the Ministry of Defence to concert with the Common::ealth Office
and Foreign Office action on the possible reinforcement of the Hong Kong
garrison, and to keep the Treasury informed.

Cabinet Office, 8.7.1.

7th September 1967

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RECEIVEDIC MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT)

HIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HERECEIVEDJS

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13

COPY NO.

OPn(DR )

OPD DR)(67) 36th Meeting

DDR) (6

1/1/SE#A9487

GABI OD 1) 1/3

ENT

DEFENCE AND OVERSEA POLICY (OFFICIAL) COMMITTEE

DEFENCE REVIEW WORKING PARTY

MEETING to be held in Conference Room 'B', Cabinet Office, Whitehall,
S.W.1., on WEDNESDAY, 6th SEPTEMBER 1967 at 2.30 p.m.

HONG KONG

AGENDUM:

(i) Measures to be taken in Hong Kong

To be raised orally

рако

(ii) Possible Reinforcements for the Chinese New Year

To be raised orally

(Signed) N.C.C. TRENCH

J.R. STEPHENS

Cabinet Office, S.W.1.

5th September 1967

*Please note this Meeting is in addition to those already arranged for
Friday, 8th September 1967 which now become the 37th and 38th Meetings.

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111 SEPIA6/

PDO(DR)(67) 36th Meeting

ED1/3.

COPY NO.13

CABINET

DEFENCE AND OVERSEA POLICY (OFFICIAL) COMMITTEE

DEFENCE REVIEW WORKING PARTY

MEETING to be held in Conference Room 'B', Cabinet Office, Whitehall,
S.7.1., on FRIDAY, 8th SEPTEMBER 1967 at 10.30 a.n.

REVISED AGENDUM

HONG KONG CONTINGENCY PLANNING

(Previous Reference: OPDO (DR)(67) 35th Meeting Minutes, Item: 1)

Memorandum by the Treasury

(OPDO(DR)(67) 54 - already circulated)

Memorandun by the Commonwealth Office

(OPDO(DR)(67) 56 - to be circulated)

Cabinet Office, S.F.1.

(Signed) J.R. STEPHENS

4th September 1967

Hr. E. Haslan, Bank of England, is invited to attend.

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(97795,

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RECEIVED IN ARCHIVES Në, 31] 11 SEP 1967

68

(THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HER BRITANNIC MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT)

EDIB

OFDO(DR)(67) 36th Keeting

13

COPY NO.

CABINET

DEFENCE AND OVERSEA POLICY (OFFICIAL) COMMITTEE

DEFENCE REVIEY WORKING PARTY

MEETING to be held in Conference Room 'B', Cabinet Office, Whitehall,
S.W.l., on FRIDAY, 8th SEPTEMBER 1967 at 10.30 a.m.

AGENDUM :

HONG KONG CONTINGENCY PLANNING

(Previous Reference: OPDO (DR)(67) 35th Mooting Minutes, Item 1)

Memorandum by the Treasury

(OPDO (DR) (67) 54 already circulated) (OPDO(DR)(67)

Kenorandum by the Commonwealth Office

(OPDO (DR) (67) 56 to be circulated)

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(Signed) R.L.L. FACER

J.R. STEPHENS

Cabinet Office, S.W.1.

1st September 1967

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(THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HER BRITANNIC MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT)

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ARCHIVES BID (B)(67) 35th Moeti

11SEPH

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NO.

CABINET

53A#

**N SZAIHOA

NI OBARORS

DEFENCE AND OVERSEA POLICY (OFFICIAL) COMMITTEE

DEFENCE REVIEW WORKING PARTY

MROTING to be held in Conference Roon 'B', Cabinet Office, Whitehall,
S.W.1.,

on TUESDY. 22nd AUGUST 1967 at 10.30 a.z.

REVISED AGENDA:

1.

HONG KONG:

DMMEDIATE STUDY

(Previous Reference:

C165/5(67) 3rd Meeting Minutes)

To be raised orally

2.

HONG KONG: LONG-TERM STUDY

(Previous Reference:

0165/5(67) 3rd Meeting Minutes)

Note by the Commonwealth Office

(OFDO(DR)(67) 52 to be aroulated)

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OPDO(IR)(67) 51 is relevant?

3.

HONG KONG: SIZE OF GARRISON

To be raised orally by the Ministry of Defence

(Signed) R.L.L. FACER

M.J. MORIARTY

Cabinet Office, S.M.1.

17th August 1967

The Board of Trude are invited to be represented

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CABINET

DEFENCE AND OVERSEA POLICY (OFFICIAL) COMITTEE

DEFENCE REVIEW WORKING PARTY

CORRIGENTA, TO

(c) 165/5(67) 2nd MEETING MINUTES

Page 1., paragraph 2, line 10

Delete:

"Shanghai/Hong Kong Bank."

Substitute: "Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank,"

Page 3

Delete: Conclusions

Substitute:

"The Working Party took note that the Chairman would arrange for a
report to be drafted on the lines indicated in his suruding up.

Cabinet Office, S.V.1.

18th July 1967

CONFIDENTIAL

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Mr. de lal Køre 21/1

Es 247.

Mr. Bollend

I RECEIVED 13 ARCHIVES NË, 3!

2 JUL 1967

FD1/3

At a meeting of the Defence Review Working Party this

morning, Mr. Cooper of the Ministry of Defence told those of

us who were concerned with Hong Kong that Mr. Stoddart

of the United States Embassy had asked to see him urgently

about Hong Kong, and in response Mr. Cooper had seen him at

9.30 this morning.

2. Mr. Stoddart said that the State Department were very

worried about Hong Kong. He did not give any specific

reasons, even when asked, for the State Department's agitation,

but asked Mr. Cooper how he saw the position.

giving

Mr. Cooper

gave a fairly guarded description of the situation as we saw

it, broadly along the lines of the paper which is being prepared by the
Working Party, in particular, our view that at the present time any
negotiation with the Chinese was out

of the question; that we were playing this in a fairly low

key and considered that we had the internal security situation

reasonably under control; but that if the Chinese really

decided to push us out, then Hong Kong was militarily

indefensible.

3.

Mr. Stoddart said that the description which

Mr. Cooper had given him was much the same as the reports they had been
receiving in the Embassy, both from the State

He added that the Russians Department and Hong Kong. had recently told
him that no kind of meaningful negotiation

with the Chinese was possible at the present time.

SECRET

/Mr. Cooper

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(Mr. Cooper did not elaborate on this, nor, apparently,

did Mr. Stoddart).

information.

He was grateful for Mr. Cooper's

ls. It was agreed that the members of the Working Party

who were present would report this to their respective

Departments. It was suggested that should we wish to

consult the Americans, i.a. over the possibility of their

sending vessels to Hong Kong (one of the possibilities

mooted in the Working Party paper) Mr. Stoddart's approach

would give us a convenient lead in. The security diffi-

culties about extending the scope of any planning would

still seem to remain valid.

3 р.а.

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RA Syke

(R.A. Sykes) 21 July, 1967

25/7

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COPY NO. 12

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CABINET

MINISTERIAL COMMITTEE ON HONG KONG

CORRIGENDUM

TO

K(67) 2

42

Page 3, Paragraph 9

Delete:

Substitute:

Third sentence

"For the time being we are also retaining for use

in Hong Kong two minesweepers which it was originally

intended to withdraw."

Cabinet Office, S.W.1.,

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