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12
HICK 257,2
(1960/9)
possible titles for the post were considered and rejected, and
after further reference to Hong Kong, it was agreed to adopt
the title of "Administrative Commissioner for the Government of
Hong Kong in London", which is the present title of the post.
5. What is perhaps not apparent from a present reading of
Mr Carter's letter is the fact that it was written little more
than a year after the sacking of our Mission in Peking and at a
time when our relations with China, particularly in the context
We were of Hong Kong, were still sensitive in the extreme.
accordingly anxious to avoid taking any action which might give
the Chinese any possible pretext for taking offence.
6. On the assumption (which seems clear) that what is now
proposed is a simple change of title without any attendant
change in the representational role of the post, then given the present improved atmosphere of our relations with China, there
seems no reason why we should not agree to it.
The
7. The Governor does not say in his letter what procedure he
would propose to adopt for introducing the new title. adoption of the present title, which took effect in August 1969, was heralded by simultaneous press releases in London and Hong
Kong.
But on that occasion much more was involved than a
straight change in title. The whole Hong Kong Government Office in London was being reorganised in order to coordinate in one organisation the various activities of the several Hong Kong Government agencies here. The Governor may not think it necessary to give more than the minimum of publicity to the present proposal and may indeed consider it sufficient if the
/change
2.
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