Mr. Wilford
CONNE
ANTHONY GREY
The Eleva News wo kers in Prison in Hong Kong
Mr. Gaminaça
(268
227
AC B
268/2/;
268/2/11
PROBLEM
In my cubmission of 6 May I recommended that while we
should accept the Go ernor's objections to the immediate
prematura release in Hong Kong of the eleven newsworkers,
whom the Chinese av linked with Mr. Grey, it was for
consideratica whethe: we might ask him to use his discre-
tionary powers of remission nearer the time of their due
to the Governor release dates. Cur telegram No. 444 of 4 July kept the
position open by say ng that, if in the event he were to
decide, as September approached, that a time had come when
the premature releas› of the newsworkers by a matter of a few
weeks would be regar ed by the Chinese as a gesture of
accommodation rather than an act of weakness we should not
want him to exclude his. In his letter of 15 July, our
Chargé d'Affaires in Peking expressed the hope that we would
not desist in our efforts to persuade the Governor to make
LAST
R
227
NEXI
REF.
- 1
CONFIDENTIAL
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY No. 1 20 AUG 1969
HKK !/12!
3.
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