GRS 190 PRIORITY
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REGISTAT No.52
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CONFIDENTIAL
TO PRIORITY F C O TELEGRAM NUMBER 1027 OF 15 OCTOBER. 1974
YOUR TELNO 878: OFFICIAL APPOINTMENTS TO LEGISLATIVE
COUNCIL SLEVIN,
3
I PUT THIS TO EXECUTIVE COUNCIL THIS MORNING AND ADVICE WAS SPLIT. ALTHOUGH THEY AGREED ON THE GENERAL DESIRABILITY, CHINESE MEMBERS WERE OBVIOUSLY UNHAPPY, PARTLY BECAUSE OF GUT REACTION AND PARTLY BECAUSE THEY FEARED SLEVIN MIGHT COME UNDER STRONG QUESTIONING WHICH HE WAS NOT SUFFICIENTLY ADEPT TO COUNTER AND WHOSE OUTCOME WOULD REFLECT ON GOVERNMENT.
2. SLEVIN HIMSELF WAS TOLERABLY CONFIDENT OF COPING, BUT AGREED THAT IF THE APPOINTMENT WERE MERELY TO RE-INTRODUCE CONTROVERSY ABOUT THE POLICE (WHICH HAS DECREASED IN RECENT MONTHS) IT WOULD BE RETROGRADE. HE THOUGHT THAT IN ANY CASE IT MIGHT BE BETTER TO RECONSIDER THIS PROPOSAL AFTER THE GODBER
CASE HAD BEEN DISPOSED OF.
3. IN VIEW OF ALL THIS, AND WITH SOME RELUCTANCE I HAVE ABANDONED THIS PROPOSAL, THOUGH I MAY WISH TO RETURN TO IT LATER ON,
4. I AM THERFORE PROPOSING TO FILL THE VACANCY BY THE APPOINT- MENT OF PRICE, COMMISSIONER OF LABOUR, AS I ASSUME THIS WOULD BE ENTIRELY ACCEPTABLE IN WHITEHALL I AM MAKING AN IMMEDIATE
ANNOUNCEMENT.
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