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Dd.033009 Gp.863
CONFIDENTIAL
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application or that circumstances in Hong Kong and
Rhodesia were very different.
5.
Obviously the question to which Ministers will
attach the greatest importance will be the effective-
ness of the penalty as a deterrent. This, of course,
is something which it is very difficult to
demonstrate but it would be extremely useful to
have your vi assessment of the deterrent effect of
your proposed course and the alternative mentioned in
paragraph 2 above.
6.
We have noted that there is much public concern
and some public pressure for the introduction of
severer penalties. It would be useful to know
whether this pressure has been maintained and, if so,
what would be the likely public reaction if some
severer punishment, but not the death penalty, was
introduced.
CONFIDDIETTIAL