 It's time for the Lawn Jean Chronoscope, a television journal of the important issues of the hour brought to you every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, a presentation of the Lawn Jean Wittner Watch Company, maker of Lawn Jean, the world's most honored watch, and Wittner, distinguished companion to the world-honored Lawn Jean. Good evening. This is Frank Knight. May I introduce our co-editors for this edition of the Lawn Jean Chronoscope? Larry Lusser from the CBS television news staff, and August Heckscher, chief territorial writer for the New York Herald Tribune. Our distinguished guest for this evening is Sir Alexander Grantham, Governor-General of Hong Kong. Most of us have become familiar with the name Hong Kong, if not with that British crown colony itself, because of the Korean War, and those charges that the island of Hong Kong was furnishing communist China with the sinews of war while British and American troops were fighting the Chinese communists on the other side in Korea. But our guest tonight, who is the governor of that strategic little island, knows the story. So Alexander, how much illegal trade was going on with the Chinese communists while British and American troops were actually fighting the communists in Korea? Well, the best way of answering that would be to quote a former American consul general in Hong Kong who said a mere trickle. To give substantiation to that, I'd make these points. Hong Kong has loyally carried out the terms of the United Nations embargo on trade in strategic or semi-strategic goods with China. Moreover, Hong Kong itself produces nothing, nothing whatever, that communist China wants. Therefore, all the communist China wants from Hong Kong has to come from other countries first. And other countries will not export to Hong Kong unless they are satisfied that those goods of strategic value are not going to be passed on to communist China. If those countries want to export to communist China, the goods will bypass Hong Kong, deliberately avoid Hong Kong because they are afraid of the controls and the penalties that Hong Kong imposes on such form of illegal trade. Sir Alexander, is there a large mass of legal trade going on now between Hong Kong and China, or has that been greatly reduced as a result of these circumstances? The answer to that is yes in both cases. That might seem a little bit illogical, but Hong Kong has as its natural trading partner China. But as a result of the United Nations embargo and also of the terms and conditions that the Chinese communists impose on trade with their country, the trade has dropped very considerably. Our trade now, since the imposition of the embargo, has dropped by one third, which naturally has had a very serious effect on the economy of the colony and the livelihood of its people there. What would happen, sir Alexander, if Hong Kong cut off all its trade with China because China is not a peace-loving country and is even now threatening for most of it? Now, if I might kick the ball back at you, sir, might I ask you the effect on Hong Kong or on communist China? The effect on Hong Kong. The effect on Hong Kong would be very serious indeed because Hong Kong is not self-supporting in foodstuffs, for instance. In foodstuffs, roughly taking the overall picture, we get about half our food from communist China, notably pigs and notably fresh vegetables. And then Hong Kong would have to be supplied from overseas and since the distances are very great, either from Britain or from Australia or America, it would be quite a problem. Well, sir Alexander, in other words, if at any time the Chinese communists wish to get Hong Kong, they could merely starve you out there. Oh, no. If it came to that, then that is really war. And when it's war, then we would be a fortress. And since the free world controls the seas, it would be possible, and I'm quite sure would be done, to continue to supply Hong Kong with all the foodstuffs that it needed to carry on the fight for freedom. Now, Hong Kong was overcome by the Japanese early in the Second World War. Isn't that quite true? That is quite correct. Hong Kong was attacked on Pearl Harbor Day, and it surrendered to the overwhelming forces of the Japanese on Christmas Day. But we have to remember that at that time the Japanese had control not only of the sea, but also of the air, whereas today we have controlled both of the sea and of the air, which makes it simple. And you think it is a thoroughly defensible island? I certainly do. I do not pose myself as a military expert, but I am quoting the opinion of the highest military authorities in Britain, and without mentioning any names, also the United States. Well, sir Alexander, how valuable is Hong Kong to the free world as a naval base? Does that outweigh its economic importance? As a naval base, I should say it's not very great at the moment, because from the British point of view, there is the far bigger and more up-to-date naval base at Singapore, which is only 1,500 miles away. That is not the real importance of Hong Kong today. Well, sir Alexander, is Hong Kong ever threatened by the Chinese communists? Do they ever make dangerous gestures in your direction? Well, I've got to use polite language, but they make sometimes impolite noises at us, but it hasn't got further than that. They don't make it a major part of their propaganda to agitate continually the Hong Kong question. No, no, that is eased off considerably. They did in the early days. They were accusing Hong Kong of all sorts of crimes and iniquities, amongst those being a stooge of American imperialism. Well, sir Alexander, what are your relations with the Chinese on the main, and are they hostile or do you conduct business on a polite, correct basis, or is there actually a friendly feeling? The official relationship is nil. We have no official relationships whatsoever. I would describe the attitude of the Chinese communists towards Hong Kong as one of cold hostility, but mainly of a passive rather than of an active nature. Well, then did you approve of the visit of the former Labour Prime Minister of Britain to Baping, Clement Attlee? Well, now you've handed me a real red hot potato. But I'm very fond of potatoes, so I'll even take this hot one. I thought that visit was unfortunate. Shall we leave it at that? Well, sir Alexander, if I could change the subject, what is life like now inside the island of Hong Kong? There are, I think, a great number of refugees who have come in from China. Are the economic conditions depressed? Is living there tolerable? I'll take that question by stages backwards. Living is certainly tolerable and there is a remarkable degree of confidence. We are very overcrowded. And I'm sure you'll appreciate that when I tell you that on the liberation of the colony by the British Pacific Fleet in August 1945, the population was half a million. Today, it is two and a half millions and our trade has dropped by one third. And the way the people of Hong Kong carry on under such difficult conditions, I think, is really most remarkable. Well, sir Alexander, I take it that most of the people in Hong Kong are Chinese. I'd like to ask you, are they friendly to the communist regime or to the nationalist regime in Formosa? Originally, when I say originally, that means 1949 when the communists overran the whole of China. Then they were inclined to be friendly to the new regime, which was the communist regime. They didn't then see it in its true colors. But they are now disillusioned. And that was well demonstrated last October when on the respective national days of the communists, the 1st of October, and of the nationalists on the 10th of October, the display of flags on the 10th of October was tremendous, greater than I've ever seen it before. Has Chiang Kai-shek ever come to Hong Kong? No, he has not come to Hong Kong at any time, whatever. Well, sir Alexander, I take it that nevertheless in this flood of refugees that you had originally, there must have been some Chinese communist agents, some sort of a fifth column. Now is there any danger that Hong Kong might be entirely subverted by the Chinese communists and you might wake up one morning and find yourself a prisoner there? I should say that the danger of that is about nil. Admittedly, some agents do slip in, but we know who the main communist leaders are in the colony. And at the requisite moment we would if we wanted to pick them up. But we prefer to keep them above ground rather than have them underground. And the net result and the net of Hong Kong is an asset to the free world as well as to Great Britain itself? Very definitely, very definitely. Well, incidentally, sir, are the communists in Red China talking about increasing trade now, now that there is a settlement in Geneva? Oh, they certainly are, yes. Oh, that's one of their great propaganda lines. Intelligent businessmen won't fall for it. Although they would like to see legitimate trade in non-embarrassed goods with China increasing. What is the value, then, of Hong Kong? Is it a place to get information from behind the so-called bamboo curtain? Oh, yes, we go. I think it's the best of all places for that. Well, sir, Alexander, may I ask you this? Could you say in Hong Kong that you can read the temperature of the world in regard to war and peace in Asia? Can you get some idea of how the Chinese feel about this? Well, my answer to that would be that I would say the chances of war are not very great. But whether that's wishful thinking or not, I really wouldn't like to say. I mean, in other words, the chances of the Chinese making further war against Hong Kong? Against Hong Kong, I should say at this juncture, no. Thank you very much. It's been most interesting to have you here tonight, sir Alexander. Oh, it's been most enjoyable. The opinions expressed on the long gene chronoscope were those of the speakers. The editorial board for this edition of the long gene chronoscope was Larry Lesser and August Hector. Our distinguished guest was Sir Alexander Grantham, Governor General of Hong Kong. The old words, accuracy and reliability take on a new and a true meaning when applied to a long gene watch. A long gene watch brings priceless peace of mind, for one knows where one stands with time all the time. 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