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mary care to ree. All this is preliminary only, ustib we have the
Governor's own
promised ucis
ACBE 12/3.
Thank you.
CONFIDENTIAL Reference..
This is still speculative (though interesty) mice
Mr. Cresson.
ive love definite proprads. Mr. Stwort.
R
R.M. Erons.
1/3
2.4 Loim
Miss P Kelly
To see pl.
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off
the Governor's proptaes for
Consitutional advance
HONG KONG: CONSTITUTIONAL ADVANCE
Anwalton
11/3/2
1. Thank you for sending us these papers on a subject which has not, I think, come our way for some time. I note that Sir M MacLehose says at the end of his despatch that he will be addressing the Department in due course on the subject of Constitutional Advance. It would seem to me that before making a very detailed study of this subject it would be best to wait a while to see if the Governor intends to commit his further views to paper before his visit in June or perhaps ask him to put forward his "heretical views" in writing when replying to the despatch. We should certainly then (or say in May if he does not write) be interested in seeing, and perhaps contributing to, a paper produced by your Department and FED.
2. For the moment I would only offer the following thoughts in the hope of contributing to a
conceptual framework for consideration of the problem rather than as blocks of argument to be weighed as they are in the balance:
(a) the present situation has been understood and worked by all three principal parties (HMG, Hong Kong and Peking) for a considerable period of time and there would need to be quite good reasons to explain whquite a change at this time would be necessary;
mital
f.A.
1/3
B.U. 1/5
(b) that said, there may well be cumulating changes in the position of all three principal parties which might add up to a sufficiently powerful case for taking limited action before there are stronger pressures for something more radical;
(c) on the assumption that the long-term future of Hong Kong lies in its absorption into China there is clearly much to be said for embarking on a path of constitutional and political development to help to smooth the transition for both parties although development in directions compatible with eventual merger with the mainland does not seem to be what the Governor has in mind, and indeed it may be too soon in 1974 to make much use of this argument;
74
CONFIDENTIAL
/(a)