CONFIDENTIAL
PERSONAL
Dear Arthur
GOVERNMENT HOUSE
HONG KONG.
RECE
ARCHIVES MA
17 JAI
HWBB 3/16
5th January 1967
You may recollect our discussing, during your recent visit, the deterioration in the feeling for Britain here and my suggestion that some effort really ought to be made to attempt to repair relations after the various shocks to public sentiment over the last few years. I said I appreciated that nothing involving considerable expenditure could be done: but a few attention-catching gestures would be a great help. said I would try to think of a few ways in which this might be done.
I
I have not, I fear, managed to think up anything very startling; but such ideas as I have had I sketch out below. These are in no particular order, but if they could be followed up at intervals as an appropriate occasion offers, they might serve until better ideas come along: -
(a) One or two considerable political figures might be asked to seek occasion to make unequivocally friendly references to Hong Kong in Parliament: to overcome the feeling that the UK Government is basically hostile to, and unfeeling towards, the Colony. For this purpose the Secretary of State (although naturally anything he could say would be appreciated) is not really enough, because he is felt to be professionally our friend anyway, so to speak you will, I hope, understand what I mean. Something from another Minister, the more senior the better, acknowledging Hong Kong's difficult position and achievements, and speaking in general terms of friendliness and praise, would have more impact: and it should preferably be done more than once.
Sir Arthur Galsworthy, K.C.M.G.
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