CONFIDENTIAL
calling for sanctions against the Chinese here. Mr. Bradley,
the Secretary General of the Union, who has been in touch with
Mr. Long, fully realises the disadvantages of this but is not
sure that he can prevent it. Conversely, there has been at
least one newspaper article suggesting a bargain involving
the news workers imprisoned in Hong Kong and there are
apparently some inside Reuters who favour this. In any case,
we may well have more comment of this kind; and we must do
what we can to ensure that it takes account of all the
difficulties. If News Department are asked, they might say
unattributably that any interference with the normal processes
of law in response to Chinese pressures would raise very grave
issues for the future. They might also put the point
informally that journalists in particular should see the
force of the argument that foreign correspondent would be at
a much greater risk if communist Governments were given
reason to believe that by holding them as hostages they
could secure important political concessions from their
parent countries.
James Zway.
(James Murray) 3 January 1969
Copies to:
Private Secretary Mr. Godden Mr. Baker
Sir J. Johnston Sir A. Galsworthy Hong Kong Department News Department
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