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assurances by the Chinese Chargé d'Affaires we accept
that the release of all the newsworkers by October will
secure the release of Mr. Grey, then it seems to me as
certain as anything can be in dealings with the Chinese
that the earlier release of the newsworkers would result
in the earlier release of Mr. Grey.
(b) I an firmly opposed to "cover stories" as a means of
justifying the release of the newsworkero.
It was right
OR
that an arrangement was contrived to bring
to the same bacis as the other ten newsworkers, and we
were able to achieve this without excessive public
embarrassment.
But if we were now to try to contrive cover
stories for the premature release of the others (and of
Vong himself), erodibility would be strained and I should
have thought the Hong Kong authorities would be made to
look foolish. If therefore the eleven are to be released
prematurely it would in my view have to be on the basis of
a "flat politicul deal" which we would have to do our bost
to present, not as giving way under pressure but as a
gesture of conciliation stemming from strength.
However, ny view is that the Governor has in effect made a
powerful case for letting matters take their course in Hong Kong
until October.
5. The complicating factor is the present state of the Brooke
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On the two argumente which Lord Shepherd advances for
deferring public knowledge of any deal over Mr. Brooke until
the Grey case has been settled, I have the following comments.
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