SECRET
INWARD TELEGRAM
TO THE COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (The Secretary of State)
FROM HONG KONG (Sir D. Trench)
151
RECEIVED IN ARCHIVES No. 63 25 MAY 170/
HWA!/17
MAT
Cypher
D. 25 May 1967 R. 25
11
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0550Z
FLASH SECRET No.69%
Addressed to Commonwealth Office IIISTRATION
Repeated
"Peking No.267
(C.O. please pass)
Following from Galsworthy for Forster.
Please ensure S. of S. has following information before Thursday D.O.P.C. meeting. Reference paragraph 4 of appreciation in our telegram from Hong Kong No.688.
135
S. of S. will wish to know that evidence is accumulating from several sources in touch with pro-Communists that high level Communist official from Canton has arrived in Colony to investigate situation. The reports indicate that Peking are gravely dissatisfied with local Communist apparatus for their conduct of recent events. Local leadership is reportedly being criticised for misjudging and misreporting the extent of their own support, of public opposition to themselves and determination of the Government. There are less reliable reports that they are also being criticised for inflating and misreporting the nature of the "Fascist atrocities" and generally for the way in which they have misled Peking. It appears likely that this man's mission is to report to Canton and to advise on whether a further, all-out effort should be made against Hong Kong or not. Less reliably, he is reported to have instructed that, pending a decision, some form of pressure should be maintained but that no serious incidents should be fomented.
2. Another (and curious) development is that Ho Yin is now in Hong Kong. It will be recalled that he is a prominent pro- Communist millionaire in Macao who, having played an important part initially in the crisis there, was thought to have been discarded. He has apparently now returned to some degree of favour with Peking. He is said to have been seen by Chou En-Lai in April.
3. It appears that he has come over on the suggestion of R.C. Lee (one of the Governor's intermediaries) and with the approval of Canton where we believe he might have been yesterday. He has been having consultations with the "millionaire wing" of the Communist leadership here (who are known to be disturbed on two counts, first that Peking were not happy about the escalation, second, because the campaign was not going well). He has indicated a desire to make some direct contact with Cater on the Governor's staff: and we are hoping that a meeting between
LACT
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SECRET
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ALA.
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