COLD WATT Dale HUGE HDD17A (1052)
NOTHING TO BE WRITTEN IN THIS MARGIN
Registry No.
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION
Top Secret.
Secret,
Confidential,
Restricted,
Unclassified.
PRIVACY MARKING
................................................... În Confidence
DRAFT LETTER
To:-
Prime Minister
Type 1 +
FROM
Secretary of State
Telephone No. Ext.
Department
Copy to:
Chancellor of
the Exchequer
S of S DTI
Home Secretary.
Minister of T and C A
S of S Defence
1.
Knowing your interest in the affairs of Hong
Kong I write to give you an account of the situation
there and of the implications for our interests. On
the whole the Colony is doing well. The crucial
relations with China are on an even keel. Inside the
Colony the economy is sound and still expanding very
fast. The new Governor has made a good start in
developing Hong Kong into a place where the ordinary
people wish to live and work.
2. I am, however, concerned about the state of
Hong Kong's relations with Britain, and the impli-
cations of these relations for our interests.
problems need not be overstressed.
The
Official relations
are good and the people in Hong Kong still look to
Britain. But there are areas of strain, arising
from the fact that Hong Kong is a modern industrial
society in its own right, but without any hope of
constitutional advance.
3.
Discussions which I have had with the Governor
recently have,mas, highlighted the indu
which face him at present, because important carei of public opinion in Hong Kong and some of his closest advisers on Executive and Legislative Counci
believe that all too often we ignore Hong Kon
interests in taking policy decisions.
The Gove, an
/5.0 the
CONFIDENTIAL