SECRET
HONG KONG WORKING GROUP
The third meeting of the Hong Kong Torking Group was held in Room 226, the Foreign Office at 11.15 a.. on Wednesday, 13 December, 1967. Present were:
Mr. Peck (Chairman)
Mr. Gaminara
Mr. Littlejohn Cook
Mr. Lewis
Mr. Rivett-Carnac
IRD
Hong Kong and West India Dept.
JIPGD
JIPGD
Miss Stowe
JIPGD
Colonel Fild
Ministry of Defence.
Mr. Wilson
IRD
2.
The Chairman said that the meeting had been called in order to take advantage of Mr. Rivett-Carnac's presence in London to discuss the situation in Hong Kong and problems of staffing and organisation of the information effort there.
3. Reporting on his tour of duty, Mr. Rivett-Carnac said that his first two months had been fully occupied in organising information activities of the various committees established to
deel with the Hong Kong emergency. He reported that they were well able to deal with information designed for the population of the Colony. The main requirement had been to improve con- tacts with the foreign press corps and for better external communications. He had initiated twice-weekly press conferences. These had been open to all foreign correspondents but, as many were in Hong Kong primarily as China watchers, attendance had in practice consisted mainly of representatives of the larger news agencies. Briefings by the Governor and by Heads of various government departments had been valuable, while the introduction of group units to closed areas along the Chinese border, which frequently figured in rews reports, had been much appreciated.
4.
On communications with the rest of the world, Mr. Rivett- Carnac reported that the declassification of the Sitrep tele- grams to the CRO enabled information to be used quickly for briefing the press. He felt, however, that there was considerable scope for improving the content of the daily telegban from the This should GIS Hong Kong to the Hong Kong office in London. include points for use in positive propaganda as well as factual reportage. The main problen was the lack of writers who had not previously been needed for the internal information effort.
5. Mr. Rivett-Carnac added that, as an outsider, he had been able to do much to improve relations between the various govern- ment departments. The release of naterial previously classi- He fied quite unnecessarily had also improved nows coverage. emphasised, however, that lack of physical security made the GIS an unsuitable vehicle for unattributable propaganda.
THIS IS A COPY
16.
THE ORIGINAL HAS BEEN RETAINED
IN THE DEPARTMENT UNDER SECTION
344) OF THE PUBLIC RECORDS ACT 1958
SECRET
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