Cypher/Cat A
CONFIDENTIAL
IMMEDIATE PEKING
ΤΟ
FOREIGN OFFICE
Telno 858
9 July 1967
21B
CONFIDENTIAL
Addressed to Foreign Office telegram No. 858 of 9 July,
Repeated for information to Hong Kong, POLAD Singapore and Washington.
My immediately preceding telegrams.
However he
When Vice-Minister Lo started to read the Note, I intervened to say that it was I who had requested the interview. insisted on speaking first and I was obliged to defer.
2.
After he had finished reading the Note I said I had been instructed by you to request an urgent interview about this serious incident. I gave him a summary of events drawn from Hong Kong telegrams and mentioned that the Hong Kong Evening News had admitted that militia had crossed the border and fired at police. (This statement seemed to cause some embarrassment). I then registered a strong counter- protest on our side while rejecting theirs. Finally I spoke on the
(19) lines of paragraph 2 of your telegram No. 593 and ended by saying that
Her Majesty's Government would certainly wish to revert to this matter as soon as all the facts were completely known.
3. Vice-Minister Lo then reiterated the points in the Note placing
He launched into a full responsibility on the Hong Kong Police. general diatribe on our actions in Hong Kong over the last two months and issued a strong warning to Her Majesty's Government that the Chinese Government would not accept the suppression of its Hong Kong compatriots and would carry on the struggle until final victory.
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Having each accused the other of standing truth on its head, I told him that as I had told him before we were not "Fascists" and that I could not accept the Note. Lo said, as usual, that I must accept all the serious consequences.
5. Lo seemed very ill at ease throughout and I got the impression that the Chinese were rather on the defensive, that they fully realised the seriousness of this incident and were therefore determined to get their word in first. I think they may well have been taken by surprise.
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In the circumstances, although you did not instruct me to do so, I thought it essential to lodge a strong protest from our side rather than leave their protest unchallenged. I also thought it essential to refuse their Note as they would certainly have refused ours if there had been one. The repeated accusation of "Fascist" atrocities gave me my cue if one was needed.
Foreign Office pass Washington.414.
Mr. Hopson
Sent 05302 9 July
Recd 0650Z 9 July
[Repeated as requested
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CONFIDENTIAL
RECEIVED IN ARCHIVES No. 63
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