STAFF IN CONFIDENCE
Reference
Mr Crowson
Mr Stuart
fire
NKK 3/548/2
ISA
PARLIAMENTARY VISIT TO HONG KONG
1. Mr Stuart asked if it was possible to find out anything about the incidents referred to by Miss Harvie-Anderson in paragraph 21 of her report,
2. I spoke to Mr Murgatroyd, APS/US of S(RAF) who knew nothing about the "unfortunate incident". However, Mr Murgatroyd spoke to Sqn Ldr Whittingham who accompanied the Parliamentary Group while they were in Hong Kong. He said that he was not actually with the Party when they visited Government House but he did hear, and he stressed that this was only hearsay, that members of the delegation were horrified to find that the Acting Governor, Sir Hugh Norman Walker was heavily intoxicated and almost totally incompetent.
Sqn Ldr Whittingham was almost certain that this must have been the incident which Miss Harvie-Anderson refers to in her report and thinks that when she says "subsequent events have overtaken what gave rise to the difficulty" she is referring to the fact that Sir Hugh has now left Hong Kong. Sqn Ldr Whittingham also said that Miss Harvie-Anderson and the group were horrified to learn that Sir Hugh was about to become the next Governor of the Isle of Man, so it may be that when she talks of "subsequent events" she is alluding to the fact that this appointment has now fallen through.
12 December 1973
A L Wotton
STAFF IN CONFIENCE
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20112
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