CYPHER/CAT A
IMMEDIATE HONG KONG
·LEGRAM NUMBER 575
SECRET
Top Copy FED
сорн
DUP ACTION HKD
TO COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
7 MAY 1968
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ADDRESSED CO TELNO 575 OF 7TH MAY REI PEKING.
RECEIVED IN ARCHIVES No. 63 - & MAY 1968
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PEKING TELEGRAM 362 : GREY.
FROM THE HONG KONG POINT OF VIEW THESE PROPOSALS CLEARLY RAISE
REAL DIFFICULTIES. THE FACT IS THAT THE POSITION OF GREY IS
NOT A MATTER OF IMMEDIATE CONCERN TO THE POEPLE OF HONG KONG SEMI-
COLON AND THIS IMPOSES VERY STRICT LIMITS TO THE EXTENT TO
WHICH WE COULD JUSTIFY LOCALLY CONCESSIONS MADE HERE ON HIS
BEHALF.
220)2.
AS OUR TELEGRAM 1909 OF 26 DECEMBER TO CO INDICATED, THE
IDEA OF RELEASING THE TWO N CNA MEN TO CHINA IN RETURN FOR GREY'S
RELEASE WOULD PROBABLY BE ACCEPTABLE HERE. BUT THERE IS IN FACT
NO LEGAL OR MORAL PARALLEL BETWEEN GREY'S POSITION AND THAT OF
THE TWO CONVICTED NCNA PRISONERS SEMICOLON AND TO RELEASE THE LATTER HERE UNCONDITIONALLY, COULD NOT REALLY BE JUSTIFIED
LOCALLY ON ANY REASONABLE GROUNDS. IN PRINCIPLE IT WOULD PROVIDE
AN EXTREMELY AWKWARD PRECEDENT. IF THE CHINESE KNEW THAT WE WERE
PREPARED TO REMIT THE SENTENCES OF THESE TWO CONVICTED PRISONERS
AND RELEASE THEM PREMATURELY IN HONG KONG IN ORDER TO STRIKE A
BARGAIN WITH THE CHINESE, IT WOULD BE FOOLISH OF THEM NOT TO
PRESS US TO REL ASE MANY MORE PRISONERS THAN TWO. IN THE LONG RUN,
HAVING CONCEDED THE POINT OF PRINCIPLE, WE MIGHT FIND IT IMPOSSIBLE
TO RESIST DEMANDS FOR THE PREMATURE RELEASE OF ALL THE CONVICTED
PRISONERS HERE. AN EARLY MOVE IN THIS DIRECTION WOULD RISK GRAVELY
UNDERMINING PUBLIC CONFIDENCE AND SUGGEST THAT WE WERE BEING
PUSHED ALONG THE PATH TO ACCEPTANCE OF THE COMMUNISTS' DEMANDS.
3. THE COMPROMISE SUGGESTED IN PARA 3 OF THE TELEGRAM UNDER
REFERENCE MIGHT JUST BE PALATABLE TO PUBLIC OPINION HERE, PROVIDED
THAT THE CHINESE KEPT THEIR PART OF THE BARGAIN. BUT IF THEY DID
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