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impossibility of prematurely releasing convicted prisoners in Hong Kong. This may woll lead to further pressure by them on us in the matter of the whole problem
of convicted prisoners in Hong Kong.
We must accept
that there is some risk that they might put up their
karpNIKA
But I personally doubt if they
price for Mr. Grey to include convicted prisoners other
than the newsworkers.
will do so, in view of the firmness with which they have
established the link between Uz. Grey and the newsworkers.
On 5 May the Prime Minister commented that the prospect
of an early deal over Hr. Brooke made it desirable that we should
get the Grey case out of the way Piret. 12 knowledge of a deal over Mr. Brooke is now to become public by 1 July I doubt if it
is practicable to try to get the Grey case out of the way
beforehand. We could of course try to persuade the Governor
that a "flat political deal" in advance with the Chinese about
Grey would be the best way, of avoiding the dangers to which
Lord Shepherd has drawn attention. But I am reasonably sure
that the Governor would argue that because it had been
considered necessary to accept the Russian terms over Mr. Brooke, this was no justification for taking what he continued to regard
Moreover as unjustifiablo rieke for the future of Hong Kong.
with so short a tine romaining before 1 July a deal now with
the Chinese over Mr. Grey would no longer meet what may have
boen some of the Prime Minister's preoccupations at the
beginning of May. Knowledge of concessions to the Chinepe
over the newsworkers followed almost immediately afterwards by
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