release of the newsworkers,
But with the
wellbeing of some 31⁄2 million people at stake we
can afford to take no risks in this direction.
1
You say that you cannot accept that there
is any parallel between the deal made over the
Krogers and the proposed deal with the Chinese
to release the Hong Kong prisonera outside the
Colony. I would agree that the parallel is not
exact; and I would also accept the precise
point of difference which you underline. In
accept each case, however, we were prepared to ./the
premature release from prison of the persons in
whom the other side was interested. It was my
judgment that the national intérest required ;
that in the case of the Chinese prisoners we
must stipulate that they should not on release.
remain in British territory a stipulation !
which was not necessary in the case of the
Krogers.
But within this prescribed limit we
have, in my view, shown a good deal of flexi**
- bility.
Since August 1967, when Mr. George
• Brown indicated to the Chinese his readiness to
try to arrange the release to China of the
newsworkers in return for an undertaking that
Grey and other British subjects would be free
to return to the United Kingdom, we have put
variants on this formula to the Chinese on a
number of occasions. We tried to ease the path
for the Chinese by refraining from insisting;
that the newsworkers should go back to China and
by offering them instead the possibility of
release to Macao and the return to Hong Kong