(c)
The Krogers are in a very special and restricted
category of prisones, whereas the newsworkers are
eleven among 254 communists who are serving sentences
for offences arising out of the 1967 troubles. (2) Even if Mr. Grey is released, there are still twelve
other British subjects Retained in China. Concessions
10.
to the Chiness over Mr. Grey might encourage the Chinese
to put a price on other heads, something which they have
not hitherto done and which we would want to avoid.
All this seems to me to provide an adequate justification to the public here for refusing to accept a deal over Mr. Brooke as good grounds for proceeding to a deal over Mr. Grey. Such
criticism as we would incur for dragging our feet is likely
to be much less damaging than the criticism if it became known
that the Governor had been overruled on an issue which he
regarded as central to the security of Hong Kong.
11. A postscript.
accepted I would nevertheless see some advantage in our telling the Governor that if he were to decide, as September approaches, that a time had come when the premature release of the
newsworkers by a matter of a few weeks would be regarded by the Chinese as a gesture of accommodation rather than an act
of weakness, he should not exclude this.
If the foregoing line of argument is
Copies to:
Private Secretary Mr. Godden
Mr. Baker
Sir A. Galsworthy
Sir T. Brimelow
Mr. Carter
Mr. Giffard
SECRET
8
(James Murray)
18 June, 1969.