8 - The French Diplomatic Démarche

Summary

This chapter uses little-exploited French archival documentation to show the lengths to which French consuls in Hong Kong, the ambassador in London, as well as the governor-general in Hanoi went in their attempts to persuade British officialdom in Hong Kong as well as the British Foreign Office of the danger posed to colonial order by Ho Chi Minh should he not be rendered back to French territory. Not hitherto exposed in the literature with reference to Hong Kong, the episode opens a new insight into the way that the colonial powers of the day sought to get their way. While police cooperation between the two colonial powers was strong, the French would be disappointed that their solicitations failed to win satisfaction at any level of government, whether in London or Hong Kong. The unsuccessful French efforts were unrelenting during and even following the Privy Council appeal, as with proposed prisoner swaps and other quid pro quo deals touching colonial outposts from India to Africa.