Mr. Moreton

Mr. Godden

E

Mr. Gaiter

Mr. Gammara

British Journalists' Protest on Kr. Grey's

Detention to the Chinese Chargé d'Affaires

Cffice in London

The

The British press to-day carries a number of reports of an interview given by a member of the Chinese Mission in

London to a group of British journalists on 4 December. reports suggest with varying degrees of emphasis that the Chinese spokesman linked Mr. Grey's release with the release

of 13 Chinese newsworkers imprisoned in Hong Kong. However

the connexion does not seem to have been stated as explicitly

as the reports suggest.

2. Mr. Claypole of the Daily Express who led the delegation

called on the Department on ↳ December to report on his meeting.

He said that he was courteously received and invited in to the

Mission where ho handed over a petition signed by about 2,500

British journalists. Although the Chinese refused to "accept"

the petition they agreed to "keep it for study".

agreed to forward to the Chinese authorities a request that a

psychiatrist be allowed to go to visit Mr. Grey. A visa

application for a Dr. William Sargent was handed in.

to Chou En-lai was also accepted.

3.

They also

A cable

In reply the Chinese indicated that we could not expect

Kr. Grey's release while 13 "patriotic journalists" remained

RESTRICTED

/ in

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