4
CONFIDENTIAL
Mr. Maw said that they had already been advised on this
by Reuters and that in regard to Press enquiries they
proposed to play it cool and simply say that HMG are doing
their best to seek Mr. Grey's release.
7. Lord Shepherd said he was glad to hear of this.
Clearly the recent outcry in the British press and else-
where had embarrassed the Chinese. While he thought they might
be susceptible to world opinion, his experience of them was
that they would not now be in a hurry to be more flexible
for fear of loss of face. It was possible that by playing
down the matter, the Chinese might, after a reasonable
time, agree (if they are so disposed) to release Mr. Grey.
But this of course was only speculation.
8. Mr. Maw then pressed Lord Shepherd about the prospects
of HMG agreeing to the release of the 11 journalists if this
was the price the Chinese wanted us to pay for Mr. Grey's
release. Lord Shepherd said that until we knew for certain
the actual price the Chinese wanted this was, of course,
hypothetical. But obviously the premature release of the
journalists in these circumstances would pose serious
problems. To bow to the Chinese demands could have dire
consequences in respect of the security of the colony since
the bending of the law in submission to Chinese pressures
would be seen by many as a step towards the Macao type
of situation to which he had referred earlier. Also, if
the Chinese use of Mr. Grey as a hostage proved successful
it could put the safety of other British subjects in China
land
CONFIDENTIAL