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Registry No.
DEPARTMENT
F
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION
Top Secret
Secret
Confidential
Restricted
Unclassified
PRIORITY MARKINGS
Flash Immediate Priority Routine
}*
(Date)
* Date and time (G.M.T.) telegram should
reach addressee(s).........
Despatched
th 31/12/20
PRIVACY MARKING
In Confidence
En Clair. Code Cypher
Draft Telegram to:-
Hong Kong
No.
(Date)
[Security_classification"
any
[ Privacy marking
-if any
[Codeword—if any]
Addressed to
telegram .............
And to
]
CONFIDENTIAL
HONG KONG (Personal for Governor)
..(date)
And to:-
Repeat to:-
Peking
Saving to:-
a
Distribution:-
Files F.E.D.
Hong Kong Dept. Sir S. Tomlinson Sir L. Monson Mr Wilford
Miss Deas
Private office
repeated for information to
Saving to
PEKING (Personal for Denson
I have been giving some thought to our relations
with China and their implications for Hong Kong.
The Chinese have now made it abundantly clear that
they wish to normalise and improve contacts; by
releasing Johnston, they have removed the only
serious obstacle remaining from our point of view.
Su as having a 2. They have now placed on us
to respond. They have made it
consider the response should take
moral responsibility
clear what form they
-
the release of
the remaining confrontation prisoners.
Lesti
3. You must be the sole judge whether releases
would be unacceptable, as leading to a reduction in
confidence in the firmness of the Government of Hong
Kong and as a sign of submitting to Chinese pressure.
I put it to you, however, that, on the other hand,
the situation is now calm, three years have passed,
/and pressures