CONFIDENTIAL
274
Cypher/Cat A
FLASH PEKING TO FOREIGN OFFICE ·
Telmo 84.28
28 January, 1968
CONFIDENTIAL
Addressed to Foreign Office telegram "No: 84' of 28 January... (57)
¿
Repeated for information to: Hong Kong.
(222) 33
My telegram. No. 1: Prison Visits.
.
A
I was summoned today to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to see Mr. Hsueh Deputy Director of West European Department on the subject of prison visits at Chinese New Year. After referring to the Chinese Government's dissatisfaction with our: reply of 31 December he went on to put the following two "demands"
2.
3.
(a)
(b)
"
*
The Hong Kong authorities should make formal arrangements for responsible officials of the NCNA..to visit NCNA correspondents and other patriotic journalists at Chinese New Year. After the Chinese Government have received a satisfactory reply and satisfactory arrange- ments have been made they (i.e. Chinese) can consider arrangements for an official British Officer to visit Grey.
•
As regards visits by representatives of other - organisations and by relatives of the prisoners at Chinese New Year, allowing for difficulties on British side, Chinese can agree to certain formalities being observed. These formalities must be simple so as to allow quick meeting. The previous requirements by the British that prisoners themselves should make request was inconvenient and unacceptable. If represent- atives of organisations and relatives apply to the authorities to make visit, the Chinese Government consider requests should be met.
I undertook to transmit these points.
Interview was mild and new demands represent a notable climb down from Chinese position of 31 December. They are now in effect offering Consular access to Grey in return for a "formal" visit to NCNA and other "Patriotic Journalists". (Composition of this last group remains somewhat vague but no doubt the NCNA Hong Kong could clarify). They are also distinguishing between above prisoners and the rest of the Hong Kong prisoners.
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CONFIDENTIAL
/4. I recommend
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