Would the U.S. Have Nuked China over Hong Kong?

For the Hamdan-weary among you — and my thanks to Peter, Roger, Julian and the others who have saved me from having to read the opinion myself — there’s a fascinating article in today’s Daily Mail (UK) discussing the British government’s belief in 1961 that the only way to defend Hong Kong against an attack by the Chinese would have been for the U.S. to use nuclear weapons against China:

On February 22 1961 the then Foreign Secretary Sir Alec Douglas-Home said in a letter, marked ‘top secret’, to the Minister of Defence Harold Watkinson and to the Prime Minister: “It must be fully obvious to the Americans that Hong Kong is indefensible by conventional means and that in the event of a Chinese attack, nuclear strikes against China would be the only alternative to complete abandonment of the Colony.

“In these circumstances it is perhaps not so much formal staff talks with the Americans that we need so much as an informal exchange of views involving a discussion of the use of nuclear strikes.

“I need hardly say, however, that I agree entirely with your view that while we should encourage the Chinese to believe that an attack on Hong Kong would involve nuclear retaliation, we must avoid anything that would allow the Chinese to claim that the Colony is a military outpost of the Unites States.”

[snip]

Another letter, from the Minister of Defence Mr Watkinson to the Foreign Secretary and to the Prime Minister, advised on how Lord Louis Mountbatten, Chief of Defence Staff, should approach talks with Admiral Harry Felt, Commander and Chief of US Pacific Forces.

Reiterating other government figures’ views, he said: “Our object is to encourage the Chinese to believe than an attack on Hong Kong would involve US nuclear retaliation.