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Mr. Godden
Lord Shepherd may have seen Mr. John Rear's letter in today's
Times about Mr. Grey and Hong Kong detainees.
The Governor wants to reply in the terms of the attached draft
which he dictated by telephone this morning. We have made some
minor changes and added an initial paragraph to remove any misconception
that the Chinese are holding Mr. Grey because of the detainees in Hong
Kong. These changes have been made in consultation with Far Eastern
und Department Mr. Moreton.
2. We think there are good reasons for agreeing to a reply by the Governor (there are precedents). There is a danger that unless we
answer the letter questions will be asked in Parliament which might
prejudice the chances of Mr. Grey's release. While we do not want at
this juncture to stir up public controversy on this issue, it would be better to run the risk of an argument in The Times (it will be some days
before Mr. Rear will be in a position to return to the charge, if he so wishes) than to have the matter aired in Parliament. There is no
guarantee of course that we shall avoid Parliamentary interest, but the
Governor's reply might meet the more obvious questions M.P.s would be
prone to ask on reading Mr. Rear's letter.
3. I have arranged to ring the Governor back as soon as possible after
3 p.m. with a view to his returning a prompt reply. We would like an
opportunity to discuss this with the Minister after consulting
Sir A. Galsworthy.
tellen
Teacher
China
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13.5. Carter
(W. S. CARTER)
11 November, 1968