CONFIDENTIAL
-2-
4. THE SAME EVENING NCNA WAS REPRESENTED AT A MEETING HELD BY THE
WALLED CITY KAIFONG WHERE THE LEFT-WING LINE ON JURISDICTION WAS
RESTATED AND A DECISION TAKEN TO PREVENT REMOVAL OF THE GUNS. THERE
WAS NO MENTION OF VIOLENCE. IT WAS STATED THAT A DIRECTIVE WOULD
APPEAR IN TODAY'S 'TA KUNG PAO''.
S IN FACT THE MAIN COMMUNIST PAPERS HAVE TREATED THE SUBJECT LESS
CONTROVERSIALLY THAN THEY MIGHT HAVE DONE. ALTHOUGH PHOTOGRAPHS HAD
BEEN TAKEN AT THE SCENE THE ONLY ONES PUBLISHED WERE OF THE INSCRIP-
TIONS ON THE GUNS. ALTHOUGH A MINOR PAPER SAID THAT THE GUNS SHOULD
NOT BE REMOVED FROM THE WALLED CITY THE EMPHASIS WAS ON REACTION BY
WALLED CITY RESIDENTS RATHER THAN ON JURISDICTION.
Spl
6. OUR AIM IN ISSUING THE PRESS RELEASE (M.1.P.T.) WAS TO RELIEVE
PRESSURE BOTH ON AND FROM THE NONA AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. IN THE ·
COURSE OF HIS NORMAL DUTY OF ASSESSING PUBLIC OPINION ON ANY MATTER
OF PUBLIC INTEREST THE CDO WILL ALSO SPEAK TO THE WALLED CITY
KAIFONG ON THE SAME LINES AND WILL SEEK TO DISCOVER WHETHER THEY
HAVE ANY CONCRETE PROPOSALS. WE ARE ARRANGING FOR A CONSIDERED
ANTIQUARIAN OPINION TO BE OBTAINED ON THE INTEREST AND VALUE OF THE GUNS.
7. WE HAVE THE IMPRESSION THAT NONA HAVE NOT YET RECEIVED INSTRUC-
TIONS FROM PEKING WHICH HAS LEFT US A BREATHING SPACE. WE ARE NOT
REPLYING DIRECTLY TO THEIR MESSAGE IN ORDER TO AVOID AND TO PLAY
DOWN THE SUBJECT OF JURISDICTION. OUR PRESS RELEASE SHOULD HELP
THEM TO CURB OVER-ENTHUSIASM. THEY DO NOT SEEM TO HAVE WELCOMED
THESE OCCURRENCES, AND THERE IS SO FAR NO INDICATION THAT THE FULL
POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE SITUATION WILL BE ALLOWED TO DEVELOP.
FCO PLEASE PASS IMMEDIATE PEKING.
SIR D. TRENCH
[REPEATED AS REQUESTED]
FILES
HONG KONG DEFT
FAR EASTERN DEFT NEWS DEPT
ADDITIONAL DISTRIBUTION UNITED NATIONS DEFT (4)
CONFIDENTIAL