1
CONFIDENTIAL
VISIT OF SECRETARY OF STATE TO HONG KONG
APRIL 1970
HONG KONG STEERING BRIEF
Object of Visit
Hong Kon
The Secretary of State will have only forty-eight hours in
The visit has been included in the tour for two
First, to give the Secretary of State a rest before
Second, to
reasons.
what is expected to be a tiring visit to Japan.
onable him to see something of Hong Kong at first hand and to
demonstrate to the people of the Colony both the United Kingdom's
continuing interest in their well being and in particular his own
eoncorn with the affairs of Hong Kong. (The Secretary of State
will recall saying in Parliament on 16 October, 1968 "In forming
the now office, we have made certain that the interests of the
dependent territories will receive the close and sympathetic
attention which our responsibility for them require". Hong
Kong is in size of population by far the largest of the remaining
dependent territories).
2. There are no points which we wish the Secretary of State
to raise with the Government of Hong Kong. He will, however,
have a full day with the Governor personally at Fan Ling, the
Governor's Lodge in the Now Territories, and will therefore have
an opportunity in quiet and congenial surroundings of gaining an
insight into the problems we face in Hong Kong. He will no doubt
want to take advantage of this to discuss with the Governor personally (i) the succession to the Governorship and
(ii) the "confrontation prisoners"
see Brief No. 3.
/3..
CONFIDENTIAL