Registry No.
Top Secret.
Secret.
Confidential
Restricted.
Open.
Draft.
Circular letter to
All Diplomatic
Posts.
Insert Telephone No. & Ext.
when appropiate.
It has been decided to set up a Working
Group in London to coordinate the work of
Departments concerned with the handling of
Information material designed to strengthen
the position of the Hong Kong Government.
The Group will study the problems posed by
the threat of Chinese subversion in Hong Kong
and make recommendations for countering it in
the Information field. The Group does not
constitute a new executive body nor will it
displace the normal channels through which
information is sent to the appropriate
Departments in Whitehall.
>
The Group will
be chaired by John Peck, the Under-Secretary
responsible for J.I.R.D.
2.
It now appears that the Chinese leadership
have decided upon a long term strategy of
harassment and intimidation in Hong Kong while
its supporters establish and expand their
basis of support. A long drawn out campaign.
of this kind could clearly pose a serious
threat to the confidence of Hong Kong's trading
partners in its economic viability and to
.
Hong Kong's neighbours in South East Asia who
are watching to see whether the Hong Kong
Government intends to take a firm stand against
Chinese subversive activities. In these
circumstances it was felt that although the
existing publicity arrangements in Hong Kong
/were
(87235) Hw.
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