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14
on movement or expulsion of N.C.N.A.
We agree with them
that we would certainly come off worse in any straight-
forward contest in nastiness, and the chances of getting
access to Mr. Grey would be lost. We might of course try
expelling members of the Chinese diplomatic mission (as
distinct from N.C.N.A.). The risk is that if the Chinese
were to retaliate by expelling any of our people from Peking,
it would probably be those that the Mission least wanted to
lose at this stage.
(e)
International Action
By any standards the Chineso are behaving monstrously
in holding a diplomatic mission as a means of exerting pressure
over policy matters and many countries not generally sympathetic
to us would nevertheless disapprove of such tactics. There
may sooner or later be advantage in e initiating publicity
among diplomatic missions in Peking by having Sir D. Kopson
write to the Dean of the corps and his colleagues. We shall
certainly have to consider what pressure we might bring to
bear on the Chinese through intermediaries. The Pakistanis
would seem to offer the best prospect, and there might be
advantage in asking President Ayub Khan to intervene with
Chou En-lal. But our past experience with the Pakistanis does
not offer encouragement that we shall have much success.
(f) Publicity
An international publicity campaign designed to show
how badly the Chinese are behaving will have to be considered.
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