CONFIDENTIAL
Reference..
Note by Lord Shepherd on his visit to Hong Kong.
EXTRACT.
FROM HWA -22/22
22. Before concluding I should mention the field of information. The external problem is that of sustaining international confidence in llong Kong, and seeing that the world has a picture A good deal is happening events and achievements in the Colony. on this front. A Working Group in London is co-ordinating the effort, and a flow of material is being fed to posts and into all appropriate media. Hong Kong have had an officer from
*
London on secondment with the job of gearing local efforts to fit in with the needs of the world-wide operation. A substan- tially increased flow of material from Hong Kong has been arranged and there is now a good and creative working liaison between the information machine in London and the Department The Embassy in Tokyo have seconded an officer to Hong Kong. It is planned to send a feature writer from C.0.I. to join the Hong Kong Information Department.
in long Kong.
23.
Internally there are a series of separated but related problems how to counter attempts by the P.L.A. to subvert
how to neutralise Chinese communist
A
troops on frontier duty:
OF.
activity with fishermen and agriculturists in the New Territories RIVED IN
AF
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CONFIDENTIAL
H/W3/3/27
and, most important of all, how not only to counter communist propaganda in Hong Kong but to sustain the morale of the Hong Kong Chinese and bring them to an understanding of the purpose and
policy of the Hong Kong Government.
As I mentioned earlier
my impression was that there is at present a gulf between
Government and people in Hong Kong which urgently needs bridging. I believe this "hearts and minds" problem has got
to be tackled much more vigorously and effectively.
not a job which can be done for llong Kong from the outside.
It is