POSSIBLE IMPROVEMENT OF COMMUNIST CHINA'S METEOROLOGICAL WORK/UNAVAILABILITY OF WEATHER DATA AT CANTON/PROBABLE SUCCESSOR TO ROYAL OBSERVATORY DIRECTOR

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83-00423R001900010002-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 14, 1998
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: April 28, 1955
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Releas99/09/
SEE BOTTOM OF PAGE FOR ADDITIONAL SPECIAL CONTROLS, IF ANY
INFORMATION REPORT
This material contains information affecting the
National Defense of the United States within the
meaning of the Espionage Laws, Title 18. U. S. C.
PREPARED AND DISSEMINATED BY
Secs. 793 and 794, the transmission or revelation
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
of which in any manner to an unauthorized per-
son is prohibited by law.
COUNTRY
China/Hong Kong
REPORT N
SUBJECT
Possible Improvement of Communist China's
DATE DISTRIBUTED
APR 28 195525X1A2g
Meteorological Work/Unavailability of Weather
Data at Canton/Probable Successor to Royal
NO. OF PAGES
1
NO. OF ENCLS.
Observatory Director
SUPPLEMENT TO REPORT it
PLACE ACQUIRED (By source)
RESPONSIVE TO
DATE ACQUIRED (By source)
DATE OF INFORMATION (Date or dates, on or between which,
events or conditions describ
d i
i
e
n report ex
sted)
Early 1955
Earl
1955
y
SOURCE
1. in early o in amege of the Hong Kong Royal Observatory told me
that a number of well-trained Chinese have returned to Communist China
to enter the field of meteorology. He also expressed the opinion
that, with this influx of new, trained personnel, Communist China's
meteorological service should get back on its feet provided the
government allocates sufficient funds to establish thenecessary
network.
2. In commenting upon the inadequacy of Communist China's meteorological
service Raim ~a related an incident which occurred during Attlee'a [UK~7
1
visit 2
j:954 . Attlee and his group were leaving China by air from
.,/
Canton bound
for New Delhi, India. While in flight the pilot asked
Hong Kong for a New Delhi weather forecast. Since China does not
observe the international weather code and also the plane had left
Canton, Ramage told the pilot to get his forecast from that city,
The pilot replied that there was no such information available at
Canton. Ramage observed that the reply would seem to indicate that
Communist China's meteorological service is pretty much disorganized.
Weather reports from New Delhi and other Southeast Asia areas are
regularly broadcast by short wave and, except for the chance that
Canton was having power difficulties at the time of Attlee's flight,
the reports should have been available in Canton. Ramage believes
that Canton has no meteorologists receiving the forecasts or
organizing the weather data.
3. Ramage, who has worked at the Royal Observatory since World War II,
will probably become its Director when the present. Director leaves
in 1955. He is an extremely capable meteorologist and probably a
good administrator. He was trained at Christchurch Geophysical
Observatory in New Zealand and worked in the New Zealand Weather
Service until the end of World War II.
-end-
TYPE ACT-DATE Iffl-TFR-OATE AREA
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19 MAY 19
5.
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3R`'1900010002-8
SO.Z0,3