SECRET
Cypher/Cat A
FLASH HONG KONG TO
Telno 1603
COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (D.T.D.)
31 October 1967
SECRET
130
Addressed to Commonwealth Office telegram No. 1603 of 31 October
Repeated for information to POLAD Singapore, Peking and Washington
192
Your telegram No. 2215
Man Kam To.
In fact these negotiations have not yet leaked to the Press in spite of the various broadcast exchanges across the frontier.
2.
The Chinese Border Authorities have specifically stipulated that there should be no Press statement. If there is one from our side it will almost certainly be treated by them as a breach of faith, thus prejudicing any prospect of successful talks. I must therefore ask that no statement should be made in London before an official state- ment is made here and we have so informed you.
3. For your own information we have now warned our NCNA contact that if and when talks do take place and there is a leak we may be obliged to tell the Press that a meeting has been held on the border between officials concerned with border matters to discuss current border problems but that we shall say no more than that.
Foreign Office please pass Immediate Peking as my telegram No. 594 and to Washington 348.
Sir D. Trench
[Repeated as requested]
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(122)
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RECEIVED IN ARCHIVES No. 63.
31 OCT1967
HWA 4/1
D.I.S. M.O.D.
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