HWB 13/22
CONFIDENTIAL
COMMONWEALTH OFFICE,
Curtis Green Building,
London. S.W. 1.
8 January, 1968
16
24A
I am replying to your letter No. 2-WEL-280/35/1 of 14 December about adverse publicity on Hong Kong.
I am sorry if you have been awaiting a follow-up to our telegram No. 1954 of 7 September to Hong Kong. In fact, our subsequent exchanges with them on this subject have been confined to 38 one Saving Despatch which we sent them on 18 October, and a copy of
which I now enclose. You will note from it that any changes in the schedule of P. & O. visits to Hong Kong appear to have been due to events in the Middle East rather than to the situation in the Colony. We similarly got little change out of our enquiries about B.O.A.C's attitude, apart from the fact that this too was apparently due to technical considerations rather than to the disturbances in Hong Kong.
As regards your second paragraph, in the light of what you say, I suspect that the reasons for the statement made in the last sentence of Hong Kong telegram No.1355 can be traced back (at any rate so far as the position in New Zealand is concerned) to the somewhat inaccurate picture of the situation in Hong Kong, which was conveyed by press reporting in this country at the time. The Hong Kong Government has since taken steps to ensure so far as possible that an accurate account of the situation in the Colony is made known overseas, particularly where their own trade connections are concerned. We are, however, passing on to Hong Kong the suggestion in paragraph 5 of your letter.
We were interested to read the correspondence enclosed with your letter: the robustness displayed by F.E. Jackson and Company Limited is most encouraging.
LACT
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REF.
64
J.E.A. Miles, Esq., British High Commission, WELLINGTON.
(w.S. Carter) R. 318. No but sent.
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