(134392) Dd. 737115 750 4/70 Mw.
NOTHING TO BE WRITTEN IN THIS MARGIN
Registry No.
| SECURITY CLASSIFICATION
Top Secret. Secret.
Confidential.
Restricted.
Unclassified.
PRIVACY MARKING
In Confidence
CONFIDENTIAL
DRAFT Submission
To:-
Sir L. Monson 0.7 4 Jamay
Sir S. Tomlinson
Miss Deas
Private Secretary
Copy to:-
Hong Kong Department (MaLand)
Type 1 +
From
h
31/12/70
J. A. L. Morgan
Telephone No. & Ext.
Department
Confrontation Prisoners in Hong Kong
<<
A
Problem
Whether we have now reached a point in Sino-British
relations when it would be in our wider interests,
those of
including in the longer term Hong Kong, for the
Governor to be asked to consider releasing further
confrontation prisoners.
Recommendation
2. That the Secretary of State should send a personal
telegram on the lines of the attached draft to the
Governor of Hong Kong,
Arguement
3. The Chinese have now made abundantly clear their
wish to normalige and improve relations. By releasing
Mr. Johnston they have removed the only serious
postbusty obstacle remaining from our point of view. They have
as having now placed us (with) a moral responsibility to respond
and have left us in no doubt about the response they
prefer. In informing Mr. Denson in Peking of
See
Mr Johnston's release they handed him the memorandum
Peking telegram no. 843) requesting the release of the
74 Chinese still detained in Hong Kong after the
events of 1967.
4. At that time 1832 mere infrosunks. Those that have
CONFIDENTIAL
an
heme released have, to the thest of on kimledge, beloved well abeying Pekings instruction to avoid trouble. A-B
and are