(a)
8.
Me. Long has in the past beon informed orally of
138 exintenco).
In comparison with Er. Brooke. Er. Grey has been
nalised for bio fortitude and good renga. I think
we must conoodo this point, arguing in reply that had
Hr. Grey's health broken down we should have been fagod
with an agonising decision; but this fortunately did
not occur and the national interest has been servad
accordingly.
There is a further defence which might have been offered
to Mr. Long for our different handling of the Brooke and Grey
cases, but which on balance I have excluded. It is this.
The deal over Mr. Brooke and Mr. Grey covered, as far as I an
aware, all the British subjects in detention in Russia and all
the inmates of our prisons in whom the Russians had expressed
interest. Apart from Mr. Groy and the newsworkers, there
are in detention in China a dozen other British subjects,
sud in prison in Hong Kong come 230 other communiste whoso
prematura release the Chinese have been trying to scoure.
If wo had made a deal over Kr. Grey and the noweworkore, wo
have would/come under pressure from the relatives of the other
British subjecta and possibly also from the Chinese to go on
making oimilar deals.
9. Tharo wore, indications at the end of last week that
Mr. Long might be on the point of mounting a press campaign
criticising our headling of the Grey affair. This has not so
far been tho oase, I had a telephone converuation with him