125
CENFO 916
FOLLOWING RECEIVED FROM HONG KONG DATED 31ST JANUARY
CONFIDENTIAL
ROUTINE
CHRISTIAN 001 OF 31 JANUARY
FOR CARTER, HONG KONG DEPARTMENT, FROM HANNAM.
YOUR CHRISTIAN 001.
21
LETTERS COMING BY NON-CONFIDENTIAL BAG TAKE SOME TIME TO REACH US AND YOUR FIRST NEWSLETTER ARRIVED AFTER THE DESPATCH OF MY CREDA 4 OF JANUARY 18.
2. YOUR NEWSLETTER IS OF GREAT VALUE BUT, WITH RESPECT, CANNOT TAKE THE PLACE OF PROPER GUIDANCE. WHAT I AND MY INFORMATION OFFICER NEED IS CURRENT TELEGRAPHIC GUIDANCE ON THE TACTICS BEING PURSUED IN THESE MAJOR POLITICO-ECONOMIC
QUESTIONS. I ENTIRELY AGREE THAT MUCH ANTI-BRITISH RUMOUR
IS BEING PROPAGATED HERE FOR OBVIOUS REASONS, BUT WE CAN DO NOTHING TO COUNTER THIS IF WE OURSELVES ARE IN THE DARK
AT THE TIME THE RUMOURS ARE TRIGGERED OFF BY SOME INITIATIVE IN LONDON.
3. FOR INSTANCE I REPORTED ON DECEMBER 20 THAT THE FRENCH
HAD MADE A BID FOR THE TUNNEL. NO COMMENT AT ALL WAS RECEIVED
IN MY OFFICE UNTIL EXCED 4 JANUARY 9 WHEN I WAS TOLD THE MATTER WAS BEING CONSIDERED BY MINISTERS. ON JANUARY 11 (EXCED 7)
I WAS TOLD THAT AN E.C.G.D. REPRESENTATIVE WOULD GO TO PARIS
ON JANUARY 14 TO DISCUSS THE TUNNEL QUESTION.
4. IT IS NOT SURPRISING THEREFORE THAT WHEN RUMOURS BEGAN TO
CIRCULATE IN HONG KONG ON JANUARY 18 THAT E.C.G.D. HAD PERSUADED
THE FRENCH TO RAISE THEIR CONDITIONS I WAS INCLINED TO SUSPECT
THEY MIGHT BE TRUE, AND MIGHT BE THE RESULT OF THE MEETING ON JANUARY 14.
5. IT WAS ONLY LATER IN EXCED 12 OF JANUARY 23 THAT 1 WAS
TOLD THE VITAL FACT THAT THE FRENCH HAD BEEN IN TOUCH WITH
E.C.G.D. BEFORE REPEAT BEFORE THE VISIT TO PARIS, AND THE IDEA OF JOINT FINANCE WAS A FRENCH AND NOT REPEAT NOT A BRITISH
INITIATIVE. HAD I BEEN TOLD THIS TEN DAYS BEFOREHAND I COULD
HAVE WARNED THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT IN CONFIDENCE, AND WOULD
HAVE BEEN PREPARED WITH MY STORY WHEN THE BLOW HIT THE TUNNEL
COMPANY.
6. THE REAL TROUBLE IS THAT IN HONG KONG THERE IS NEXT TO NO
PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF POLITICAL MATTERS. THE ENERGIES THAT
EDUCATED BUSINESSMEN ELSEWHERE NORMALLY DEVOTE TO CONSIDERATION
OF POLITICAL MATTERS ARE THEREFORE DIVERTED, IN HONG KONG, TO CONSIDERATION OF POLITICO-ECONOMIC MATTERS OF THE TYPE YOU
REFER TO. THIS POST THEREFORE NEEDS CURRENT GUIDANCE ON DUR
''PARTY LINE'' IN SUCH MATTERS, IN EXACTLY THE SAME WAY THAT GUIDANCE DEPARTMENT SENDS CURRENT FUXX// GUIDANCE TO CHANCERIES ON
THE U.K. POSITION IN MAJOR POLITICAL QUESTIONS.
7.
SUCH GUIDANCE SHOULD PRESUMABLY INITIATE IN E.C.G.D.
OR THE BOARD OF TRADE BUT I TRUST YOU WILL PRESS FOR IT IN
ORDER THAT YOU MAY KEEP ME FULLY BRIEFED. I THEREFORE
ASK YOU TO IMPRESS ON THEM THE SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP OF HONG KONG AND BRITAIN, THE EMOTIONAL ATMOSPHERE HERE, AND THE OVER-RIDING IMPORTANCE THESE MATTERS ASSUME IN THIS INTRO-
SPECTIVE SOCIETY.
ENDS
SENT AT 31/1508Z JAC
QSL 31/15082 GVL
LGET
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