4. Editorial Note

At the meeting of the National Security Council on January 13, Admiral Radford reported on his trip to Asia and the Pacific, December 22, 1954–January 5, 1955, as follows:

“At Hongkong, Admiral Radford had talked with the British Commander-in-Chief about the Manila pact. The Britisher had complained about our reluctance to take concrete steps to indicate how we proposed to implement the military clauses of the Manila pact. It was plain that the British hoped that we would agree to commit troops to assist in the defense of Malaya. Admiral Radford said he explained the preference of the American military authorities for an attack on Communist China directly if the latter committed overt aggression in the areas covered by the Manila pact.” (Memorandum of discussion by Gleason, January 14; Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, NSC Records)

The Commander of British Forces in Hong Kong was Lieutenant General Cecil Stanway Sugden.