/ P.A 19/10
J.
her hauport
Fi
1410.
his
her Laird informat amily. 114
IN CONFIDENCE
NOTE FOR THE RECORD
HKK 21/2
Reference
45
UNDERGROUND RAILWAY - COI MEETING TO DISCUSS PUBLICITY FOR UK CONSORTIUM
1. Folio 39 File HKK 21/2 refers.
2.
Mr Curry RIA and Mr Ross EGCI were invited to open the meeting by explaining their requirements which were basically to plan COI participation in a publicity campaign aimed
3.
(a)
#
}
at counteracting insidious Japanese propaganda circulating in HK that Japan had the contract for the underground railway "in the bag" and
(b)
at publicising the newly-formed British consortium.
From the outset it was clear that
Messrs Curry & Ross had been very well briefed indeed since they made all the points one might have expected from a FCO representative. I learnt after the meeting that thanks for this were due to Sir M MacLehose who had entertained them for lunch). Their main points were (a) that there should be no suggestion that UK expected or should be given preferential treatment and above all (b) that care must be taken not to give the slightest impression that HMG were involved in the publicity or were trying to influence HK in any way.
4.
They also accepted the fact that the HK Government would decide who should be given the contract on completely impartial terms influenced neither by Japanese nor British publicity.
5. Apart from Messrs Curry & Ross the meeting was attended by two representatives of DTI (one being Mr K Price), two of the FCO (Sedgwick-Jell IAD and Clewley HKD) and no fewer than eight Divisional representatives of COI. For almost an hour all the latter, other than the COI Chairman, were more or less excluded from the discussion since it revolved round the advisability or other- wise of publicising the UK interest rather than the "mechanics" of preparing a campaign. When this was pointed out to Mr Curry and Mr Ross both readily agreed with the unanimous conclusion that
(a)
no action need be taken in the immediate future except to issue the attached press release;
(b) this release would be issued jointly by
/the
IN CONFIDENCE
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