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Background
3. The background is in my submission of 7 August.
detainees now number about 40.
The
In Peking telegram No. 851, Mr. Cradock complained that
only 5 detainees had been released since 12 August. He
suggested therefore that we were not making concessions
adequate to match the Chinese grant of all outstanding exit
visas to members of our Mission in Peking. The Governor
pointed out in Hong Kong telegram No. 1084 of 17 September
that in fact 7 releases had been made but indicated that he
was reluctant to release more than one or two until after the
National Day celebrations on 1 and 10 October. Mr. Cradock
røturned to the charge strongly in Peking telegram No. 871
82 pointing out that what the Governor had done was scarcely
"the larger gesture involving a minumum of ten persons" which
we originally suggested should be made if the Chinese honoured
their undertaking and granted all the outstanding exit visas.
Argument
5. In fact the Governor never specifically agreed to make
"the larger gesture", but said merely that he would match the
trickle of exit visas with a trickle of releases of detainees
subject to examination of the circumstances in each case and
without aiming at arithmetical equality (Hong Kong telegram
No. 1005). I suspect that at heart he dislikes making these 782) concessions at all and that he will try to keep them at a
minimum. It is hard, however, to contest the arguments first
/ put forward
CONFIDENTIAL