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hoped that a greater improvement in Sino-British
relations would enable us to make progress over
the case. Shortly before Christmas Sir D.
Hopson recommended that we should now give
publicity to the case. After consultation with Reuters, we decided to defer a decision until
the reassembly of Parliament. In the meantime
fw.
an article appeared about/Grey in the Sunday
Times but as a result of our intervention it
ow not attre was in cautious terms.and eroided pécific
great attention.
possible action such as en exchange,
}
In Foreign Office telegram No. 49 we stated
that we might be under pressure to take some
retaliatory action against N.C.N.A. in London
M.
if there were no progress over Grey, that
publicity would increase this pressure, and
asked whether in the circumstances Sir D.
Hopson still favoured publicity.. His
-Hepserly views are contained in Peking telegram
No. 42 (which crossed ours) and Peking telegram
No. 48. Sir D. Hopson recommends strongly
against retaliation on N.C.N.A. in London and
indicates that he would not favour publicity
if this led to greater pressure for retaliation.
7. In the wider context of Sino-British
has
relations in oneral Sir D. Hopson/also had
genere
exchanges with the Governor of Hong Kong about
the possibility of a major act of clemency on
the occasion of the Chinese New Year at the end
of January e.g. the release of all political prisoners (Peking telegrams nos. 22 and KX 41).
Sir D. Hopson e hopes that such a gesture
Mi would smooth the way for progress over Grey.
Understandably the Governor has serious
ChP DOESTRAD
/reservations
"