Caro on HWA 14/32
CONFIDENTIAL
223
IMMEDIATE PEKING TO FOREIGN OFFICE
Cypher/Cat A
Telno 375
CONFIDENTIAL
27 December, 1967
Addressed to Foreign Office Repeated for information to:
telegram No. 375 of 27 December.
Hong Kong.
22 Hong Kong telegram No. 1910: Prison Visits.
I agree that best course might be for me now, approach the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs broadly on the lines suggested I think that it would in paragraph 5 of telegram under reference.
be necessary to make quite clear to the Chinese that concession of special New Year visit to NCNA prisoners would depend on assurance from them that Grey would be given the same privileges for mail and monthly visits as the NCNA already have as well as special Mew Year visit.
2. If the Chinese raise clothing I could explain possibility as given in paragraph 3 of telegram under reference. We are not repeat not) in fact interested in getting clothing to Grey. As regards foodstuffs, if asked I should like to be able to say that providing the question of visits were arranged (which is most important for Grey) there was a possibility that food parcels for NCNA could be arranged. Otherwise I would have to say that the matter was under consideration.
3.
It occurs to me that if we are going to get into negotiations of this complexity about Grey we might just as well go the whole hog and try to get him out. I could at least cast a fly over the Chinese about the possibility of swapping Grey for Hsueh Ping, as suggested in previous telegrams by enquiring on a personal basis whether the Chinese would be prepared to accept Hsuch on deportation (if this proved possible) and allow Grey to leave the country. After all the idea has already been mooted in your letter to Ch'en Yi.
4. I understand the difficulties created by discriminatory treatment in prison. Would it be possible to ease this by somehow housing NCNA separately?
Foreign Office pass Immediate Hong Kong No. 194.
Mr. Hopson
[Repeated as requested].
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