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Mr. Carter
Mr. Moreton has sought your advice on the attached letter from Mr. Denson in Peking. The letter has not been copied to Hong Kong although they know of its existence. Mr. Murray has seen the letter and Far Eastern Department know that it is being dealt with on our files.
2.
It seems to me that the whole question of what is to be done about Wong Cho Fan must now be examined in the knowledge that Wong left Hong Kong for China on 3 May and, so far as we know, he is still there. So long as he remains in China there is no urgency about this matter, but once he returns to Hong Kong I think we can reasonably assume that the attitude which he then adopts will reflect the attitude of the Chinese Peoples' Government over the issue of the Yu Hua School.
3. My own sympathies are marginally with Mr. Denson over this issue. There is a certain truth in the earlier part of paragraph 2 of his letter although I am not sure who are the doves and who are the hawks. There is also some truth in the early part of paragraph 3 of the letter; and the attitude towards the normal judicial processes which is indicated in the latter part of paragraph 2 of Hong Kong telegram 328 is somewhat surprising, especially as Hong Kong have not hesitated in the past to plead the sanctity of those processes when it has suited their book to do so.
4. I have been in some doubt as to the form in which these papers should be submitted, but after discussion with Far Eastern Department I have prepared the attached draft composite brief and background note on Communist confrontation (including Communist schools) for the purposes of the Minister's forthcoming visit to Hong Kong. Paragraphs 4-8 of the draft deal with the question of Wong Cho Fan and suggest for consideration a line which the Minister might take in discussing the question with the Governor.
5. It seems unnecessary to send any telegram to the Governor asking him not to take any further action in this matter before he has had an oppor- tunity of discussing it with the Minister. Lord Shepherd is due in Hong Kong in a fortnight's time and Wong may not have returned to Hong Kong by then. Even if he does return at an earlier date, the Governor will require a little time in which to assess whether Wong has decided to mend his ways.
6. The draft has been cleared with F.E.D.
(A. W. Gaminara) 16 May, 1969