 The National Broadcasting Company and its affiliated stations present the Pacific story. This is the story of the Pacific, the drama of the millions of people who live around this greatest sea, where the United States is now committed to a long-perm policy of keeping the peace. This, as another public service of the National Broadcasting Company, is the background story of the events in the Pacific and their meaning to us and to the generations to come. The naughtiest problems of the Far East is tied up in the future of Hong Kong. China wants Hong Kong back. It is as much a part of China as Liverpool is of England. Hong Kong is a British crown colony. It belongs to us. The prestige of both the Chinese and the British is at stake. Hong Kong is not a city, but an island and a territory 390 square miles in area, just a mile off the coast of China. It is the counter over which most of China's foreign trade is transacted. Nearly 50,000 vessels, large and small, clear its harbor each year. Britain has made Hong Kong one of the world's greatest ports. It's a free port, open on equal terms to all. So say the British. Five million Chinese have not died so that the British can have Hong Kong. So say some Chinese. The British have now been in control of Hong Kong a little more than 100 years. Until that time, Canton, some 90 miles up the Pearl River from Hong Kong, had been the center of trade in South China, especially in Opium. In the late 1830s, Lord Napier was sent out to Canton. Is this a usual sort of thing out here trying? You must remember, Lord Napier, that the Chinese regard no country greater than their own. But I come as a representative of the British crown. Matter of fact, they regard China as superior to any other country, and as the only truly civilized country in the world. Fantastic. But this is a unique occasion. Here comes the Chinese back now. Now, forgive the unfortunate delay, please. Of course, of course, sir. It is regretted that it will not be possible for the Viceroy to receive you at this time. Is the Viceroy aware that I come not only as a representative of British commercial interests, but also as a representative of the British crown? It is the wish of the Viceroy that your visit in China will be pleasant. Please, could we humbly offer you some tea? Into the official records of the Viceroy went a memorandum of Lord Napier's attempt to win an audience. The object of the said barbarian headman in coming to Canton is for commercial reasons. The Celestial Empire appoints civil officials to rule the people and military officials to intimidate the wicked. But the petty affairs of commerce are to be directed by the merchants themselves. The great ministers of the Celestial Empire are not permitted to have private intercourse with outside barbarians. How flaming bright are the great laws and ordinances of the Celestial Empire? More terrible than the awful thunderbolt. But the British were determined. They sent in the following years three more representatives. The Viceroy refused to receive any of them. The British fumed. Then their turn came. The Chinese Emperor issued a mandate that all traders give up the opium in their possession and also that they give bond, that they would not engage in the traffic. Yes, you can take our opium, but we will not give bond. You propose to engage in opium traffic against the mandate of His Highness the Emperor? We will not give bond. I shall report your decision to the Viceroy. The Chinese laid seeds to the British factories and trading places around Canton. The British starved out, withdrew from Canton to Hong Kong. For a time, the British discharged their cargoes through the Americans. But trouble was in the wind. Fighting broke out around Canton. Spread up the coast. The British refused to be dislodged and struck back with furious power. The British warships are sailing up the auntie. They dare to invade our sacred empire? There is no way to stop them. We must. They will cut our empire in two. That they must not do. We must negotiate with them at once. You will take immediate measures to... Helpless, China ceded Hong Kong to Britain. China will also pay an indemnity of $21 million. Of this sum, $12 million will be to cover the expenses of the British expedition. $3 million for the settlement of debts due to the British merchants. And $6 million as compensation for the opium seized from the British at Canton. But you British have made no mention whatever of opium in the treaty. The opium traffic which we Chinese tried to control was the chief cause of the war. The best way you Chinese can handle this is legalize the importation of opium and then regulate its admission. We have found that not satisfactory and therefore we have prohibited it. The British government will not protect the Englishmen engaged in the traffic. But if we are to pay for the opium which we took from you Englishmen, the treaty should mention that the session of Hong Kong to Britain was as a result of the opium traffic. Certainly China has the right to prohibit opium traffic within its own boundaries. Britain will take possession of Hong Kong at once. No mention of opium was made in the treaty ceding Hong Kong to Britain. The opium trade was no more the real cause for the session of Hong Kong to Britain than the Boston Tea Party was the real cause of the American Revolution. This was the opinion of American President John Quincy Adams. But Britain in Hong Kong was a fate to complete. Britain had the island. 20 years later China further ceded to Britain the tip of the Kowloon Peninsula and Stonecutter's Island. And in 1898 still more territory on the Kowloon side was acquired by the British. Whereas it has for many years passed been recognized that an extension of Hong Kong territory is necessary for the proper defense and protection of His Majesty's colony. It has now been agreed between the governments of Great Britain and China that the limits of the British territory shall be enlarged under lease to the extent indicated generally on the next map. The term of the lease shall be 99 years. This total area then, the island, the tip of Kowloon Peninsula, Stonecutter's Island and the new territories including Deep and Merse Bays became the British crown colony of Hong Kong. And by 1937 was Britain's strongest foothold on the China coast. It's a rocky island, isn't it? Yes, Mr. Holt. You see this ridge of hills runs across the island and the peak we're standing on here is of course the highest hill. How high is this peak, Mr. Warwick? Something between 1800 and 2000 feet, I should say. That mansion right there, that's the residence of the British governor. Yes, commands the whole view below there. That harbour down there, Mr. Holt, he's one of the finest in the world. Magnificent. Do the ships go up the river to Canton? Not the large ocean liners. The smaller vessels do, of course. The Chinese sampangs and junks and the motor launches and tugs. But the larger vessels discharge their cargo here. Most of them are across there in Kowloon. That is what has made Hong Kong such an important reshipping point. From here the cargoes are reshipped by river boats and railroad all over this part of Asia. That's probably one of the reasons so large a British fleet is stationed here. British naval units have been based here since the Opium War. At that time this island was a hideout of parrots who looted every vessel that came this way. Today the fleet is based here for matters of security. What is the distance from Hong Kong to Tokyo? About 1800 miles. That gives Britain a base just about halfway between Tokyo and Singapore. That's right, Mr. Holt. A great strategic position. Oh yes, Mr. Holt, but you see Hong Kong has several distinct natural weaknesses. Well, first it has little land that can be cultivated and nearly all our food must be brought in. It has no natural underground water, so we've had to build dams and reservoirs. Since the island is just about a mile from the mainland, defending it would be a great task. It is therefore necessary for us to... The city of Victoria is on the lowest level of the island near the waterfront. Here are the warehouses, the banks, the insurance houses and the homes of the native Chinese. Here ships from every part of the world tie up while coolies load or unload their cargoes. You see, Mr. Holt, each one of those coolies gets a stick when he unloads a sack of rice. Stick? Yes, a counter. Oh, sort of token. Yes. At the close of the day, he takes his sticks to the office and he's paid for the number of sacks of rice he has unloaded. What a great many coolies there must be here. Oh, very many, yes. Human labor is cheaper here than machinery. And you see out there in the harbor all those junks? Yes, there must be thousands of them. There are. More than 100,000 Chinese live on boats here. They are born on the boats, they spend their lives there and they die there. Look at that one junk there, maneuvering in and out among all those other boats. My people are very proficient in sailing their junks, Mr. Holt. Their lives depend on their skill. Remarkable. You see, there at the bottom of the scale, it is like this city of Victoria. Everything is on a level according to its importance. Victoria is a stair step city. I see. This is the bottom. Up there on the second level are the parks and government buildings. And up there on the top of the peak are the mentions of the government officials and the wealthy residents. World observers who came to Hong Kong found plentiful evidences of the good works of the British. Public health controls had pushed back the black mysteries and superstitions. This man has tuberculosis. He must be segregated. The tuberculosis rate was high, but it was being brought down. This child has smallpox. He must be quarantined. Infectious diseases were put under control. Give me a report on those 3,000 rats trapped in Victoria, and take special care to see if any of them carries plague fleas. By these measures, the British fought the menace inside Hong Kong. But outside, a menace was growing that was just as deadly. The Japanese had attacked China. Well, there's scotch and soda for me. And now they're saying that munitions are flowing to China's armies through Hong Kong here. Are they? I don't know. But I don't think there's any reason for us to tolerate Japan's threatening attitude. Well, it's my opinion we made a mistake in permitting Japan to take Manchuria. We thought it would appease her. It didn't. It permitted the Japanese to bluff us out of Baping and Tsimtsin and Shanghai. And now they're talking about Hong Kong. I say it's time to put a stop to this bluffing. They're not bluffing. The Japanese see the meaning of the transfer of the British troops from Tsimtsin and Shanghai to Singapore. What meaning? They could interpret this to mean that Britain will not fight to hold Hong Kong. But we will fight to hold Hong Kong. Hong Kong could not hold out long against a concentrated attack, but we should be able to hold out until reinforcements could arrive. You should be able to hold out for a while. If war doesn't break out in Europe. In Europe? I say this in all of you. Japanese planes have bombed the railroad connecting Hong Kong with Canton. What? A report just came in. How seriously? Well, they must have blasted it for fair. They say that it will tie up all railroad traffic between Hong Kong and Canton. Hanging miles of railroad to Canton is our lifeline to the interior of China. We cannot operate without Canton. Nearly all our trade to the interior passes through there. Gentlemen, I think it's time that we send our women and children home. Japan has not attacked Hong Kong. Mr. Holt, it's my advice that you return to America. The Japanese drove into Kwantung province and captured Canton. Americans and British civilians began to leave Hong Kong. And as they left, refugees from Wall Street and China began to flock in. Look at them come, Mr. Holt. They are flocking here by the thousands. They have hardly turned their back. This is the only haven they have. I don't know how we can feed them. There is not enough food. They flooded into the island by the tens of thousands. Wretched, terror-stricken humanity fleeing for their lives. They came across the streets in ramshackled boats that hardly could keep afloat. They slept on the waterfronts, in the streets, in public buildings, anywhere they could find. But other refugees crossed the streets in comfort, if not in glittering luxury. That's one of them right there, Mr. Holt. The Chinese millionaire has come here with all his family and he's brought with him all his gold. Bankers, wealthy merchants, importers came. They deposited their money in the banks. The banks bulged with riches. Now more than 500 Chinese millionaires in Hong Kong, Mr. Holt. The population swelled from less than 1 million to more than 2 million. And still they came. If an epidemic should break out now, it would sweep through the Hong Kong population like fire through a wheat field. Very short of medical supplies, doctor. Not the medical supplies as much as help. But it's simply not enough help to take care of the patients. And we've got to take care of them all for the protection of us all. Hitler struck in Europe. And many of the British naval units in the Asiatic station were called back to protect the homeland. Hong Kong was left with a token fleet. It's hardly enough of a fleet to stop the Japanese. Japanese are not concerned about these few ships we have here, Mr. Holt. They have Canton. I know we can get nothing through to the Chinese. We're lucky we don't have to ask the help of the Chinese. The Japanese have got us trapped here in Hong Kong. You think they'll try to come in and take it? Why should they? We're going to give them a fight if they try it. That's what we're preparing for. By the middle of 1941, Hong Kong was in the process of becoming an armed camp. Barbed wire was stretched across the Kowloon line on the peninsula facing the Japanese. Barbed wire was stretched along the beaches of the island. Half-hidden iron doors led to ammunition dumps and air raid shelters. Anti-aircraft guns pointed skyward in a hundred places. New heavy cannon emplacements were put in and cleverly camouflaged. And supplies were amassed atop the hills for a last-ditch stand. If worse came to worse. Look better to me, Mr. Holt. They flee forever! This contingent should add considerable strength to the other colonial forces you have here, Mr. Warwick. Not only strength for us! There's no lack of it among the Scots or the Indians or among any of the other troops we have here. But everyone knows of maybe even these Canadians that Britain could be in the war here in the Pacific anytime. Just look at those Canadians. Have you ever seen anything finer in your life? Never! Business went on in Hong Kong. Not business as usual, but Hong Kong was cut off from access to China. The Japanese were standing across the straits on the peninsula behind Kowloon, virtually overlooking the island. In the business houses, orders were being handled for the shipment of supplies to China by way of the Burma Road. Hong Kong was still in communication with John Gai-Shek in Chongqing. But the Japanese knew what was going on. Have you heard about the Japanese warships lying just out beyond the horizon, Mr. Holt? No, I haven't, Jan. Some say that they are out there waiting. To attack? They say they are waiting to see how the negotiations of the Japanese envoys come out of Washington. I see. There are not enough British warships here to stop the Japanese. Are there, Mr. Holt? I don't know. In every place where men of affairs gathered to talk in Hong Kong, there was an air of tenseness. I don't think they'll dare attack Hong Kong no matter what happens in Washington. Why not? I don't think the United States would permit it. And the Japanese know it. The United States and Britain have some kind of understanding in the Atlantic. Why not the Pacific? If there is, I've never heard of it. What kind of understanding could that be? The United States might take over Hong Kong for the duration. Yes, I've heard that too. And that Singapore might be turned over to America for the duration. I'm afraid you chaps are overlooking our more immediate danger. Yes, Doctor? There are more than a million refugees here in Hong Kong. Most of them are Chinese. Most of them are destitute. They're hungry. And that means danger. There was no way to keep them off the island. It's the last refuge on the coast of China. Let the doctor talk. It's the danger of disease. You heard me talk about that before. An epidemic could destroy most of the people on this island. And second, a hunger man is likely to deal with anyone that will feed him or promise to feed him. Especially if a hunger man has no particular love for those that he feels have not dealt fairly with him. You speak, Doctor, as if all these Chinese might be fifth columnists. They're not, in the ordinary sense. But in the sense that they might listen to what the Japanese might promise them and act accordingly, they are. The thing is, if Hong Kong should be attacked, we have at least a million persons within our gates, whom we could not expect to pull for us. Our immediate danger is not for Japanese outside Hong Kong, but... The attacks at Pearl Harbor and Manila stunned Hong Kong. With these events, hope to withstand siege until help should arrive faded. Hong Kong's 10,000 troops, including the newly arrived Canadians faced at least 30,000 superbly equipped Japanese driving down the Kowloon Peninsula and blazing the way for the Japanese with their war planes. They're bombing every military installation on the island as if by blueprint. They've had plenty of time to jot them. Their precision is perfect. Can we then take it that they are deliberately bombing civilians? Our emergency wards are overflowing. So are the morgues. Wait. There's a wildest message coming in from the Kowloon line. Pure ticket. Yes. Yes. Yes, go ahead, Kowloon. Go ahead. The Japanese ground forces have broken through the Kowloon line. They've broken through and are driving for the shore with their big guns. We've fallen back and we're trying to... Yes, yes. Go on. Go on, Kowloon. Go on. Something's happened. It went out in the middle of a sentence. We're isolated. How long can we hold out? Longer than they think. The Japanese set up their big guns on the mainland shore. The British batteries reply. One by one they were silent. On the fifth day, the Japanese sent a demand for surrender. The answer is no. The bombers came back again and again. On the tenth day, the Japanese made landings on the island. How are the food and ammunition holding out? The warehouses are filled with them. But the fifth column is working against us. Gentlemen, three of our four reservoirs are now in the hands of the enemy. The last remaining reservoir was blasted. On December 23rd, there was enough water left for only one more day. The British fought on. On Christmas Day, Hong Kong fell. Now it was Japanese boots that resounded through the streets. The triumphant troops of the emperor marched in review before their commanders. Britain had lost her first stronghold in the Pacific. And with its fall, the whole question of Hong Kong's destiny was again laid open. Before the war's end, the Chinese in Hong Kong would almost welcome the defeat of the British, almost wished for the British to come back. But now that the war is over, and China, equally with Britain, is one of the victors, the question is again asked everywhere. Who will get Hong Kong, China, or Britain? On this problem, the Chinese and the British quite naturally have opposing views. President Roosevelt said that properties seized by aggressors must be returned to their rightful owners. We are the rightful owners of Hong Kong. The Japanese took it from us. But Britain took it from us. The British and the Americans relinquished extra-territorial rights in China in the treaty signed on January 12th, 1943. But these treaties did not apply to Hong Kong. At that time, the British declined to discuss the question of Kowloon. But now the Chinese have made no move to interfere with the return of the British to Hong Kong. They accepted calmly the news that British naval units had gone to Hong Kong to accept the surrender of the Japanese. Further, Chiang Kai-shek said that the status of Hong Kong would not be changed without negotiations. This left the door open for consideration of the matter of the return of Hong Kong to China. France has turned back Guangqiu I to China. Guangqiu I is nearly the same size as Hong Kong. And we have asked Portugal to turn back Macau. Why shouldn't the British turn back Hong Kong? It was the British who made Hong Kong. The British and the Chinese. It must not be overlooked that Chinese own most of the transportation lines, the buses, the taxis, the ferries that cross the streets. And Chinese own the big department stores and many of the banks and the insurance companies, the shipyards and the industries. And besides these which are wholly Chinese, we Chinese are heavy stockholders in many foreign enterprises, banks, shipping companies and factories. Against the Chinese position, Britishers have presented the words of Dr. Sun Yat Sen as a testimony to the contribution of Britain to Hong Kong. These are Dr. Sun Yat Sen's own words, quote. I compared the village of Wangshang with Hong Kong and although they are only 50 miles apart, the difference of government oppressed me very much. Afterwards I saw the outside world and I began to wonder how it was that foreigners, that Englishmen could do such things as they have done. For example, with the barren rock of Hong Kong within 70 or 80 years, while China in 4,000 years had no place like Hong Kong. After I had studied all this, I went home to the village elders of Wangshang to persuade them to do the same thing on a small scale, at least to clear the streets and make a road to the next village. But they said, we have no money. I replied, labor can be head. We young men can start the work. And so while I was at home, I swept the street and cleaned the road. Many young men followed by example. But immediately we began to work outside the village where there was trouble. And I had to give up creating Hong Kong on a small scale in Wangshang, unquote. But not all Britishers are agreed that Hong Kong should be British. Against the British position, the Chinese quote the words of a British member of parliament. These are the words of Irene Ward, who was a member of parliament in 1944. This is what she says. China is anti-foreign in the sense that she is determined to be a mistress of her own destiny, and she is determined to throw off any association with foreigners which impinges on her sovereign rights. The treaty port system has eaten into the soul of China. And she is acutely aware of the difference between our trade relations with her and with the United States or European countries. One specific question in our relations with China cannot be ignored. I was always being asked to define our attitude to return of Hong Kong. Whatever the final decision may be, we shall never in my opinion achieve complete unity of purpose unless Hong Kong becomes Chinese. In the ultimate settlement of world affairs, Great Britain has some very hard thinking to do, and nowhere will she be more sharply tested than on problems of the Far East. Today, with the Japanese defeated, and with the certainty that their influence on the mainland of Asia is broken, China bids fair to play a greater role in world affairs than ever before in her modern history. China feels that Hong Kong is as much a part of China as any other part of China occupied by the Japanese. And Premier TV soon may ask its return on his forthcoming visit to London. It isn't that Britain necessarily wishes Hong Kong return to its possession, Mr. Holt, but it should be a free port. It should be a stable centre of international business for the benefit of all. But it should be controlled by China. It must be returned to Chinese sovereignty. The nations that trade with China should acknowledge Chinese sovereignty in Hong Kong the same as China acknowledges their sovereignty where they claim it in their own lands. For Hong Kong is part of China. You have been listening to The Pacific Story, presented by the national broadcasting company and its affiliated independent stations as a public service to clarify events in the Pacific and to make understandable the cross currents of life in the Pacific basin. For a reprint of this Pacific Story program, send 10 cents in stamps or coin to University of California Press, Berkeley, California. May I repeat? For a reprint of this Pacific Story program, send 10 cents in stamps or coin to University of California Press, Berkeley, California. The Pacific Story is written and directed by Arnold Marquess. The original musical score was composed and conducted by Thomas Peluso. Your narrator, Gain Whitman. Programs in this series of particular interest to servicemen and women are broadcast overseas through the worldwide facilities of the Armed Forces Radio Service. This program came to you from Hollywood. This is the national broadcasting...