independence.
RET
Confidential
In this situation the Governor believe
that the best way to enlist the active cooperation and assent of the Chinese population is to appoint some local unofficial Chinese to executive positions within his Government as, in effect, appointed Ministers. These ideas need to be further refined but I believe that the underlying idea is imaginative and progressive.
4.
His
On the Chinese proposal for an Official Representative in Hong Kong, the Governor has explained to me the dangers he sees for Hong Kong (about which I know that you had some doubts). Such a Representative, who would have to have special status, would be seen as an alternative source of power in the Colony. appointment would damage general, not only business, confidence in the Colony. This could create serious, though probably not insuperable, problems now. 15XXXXXXXhexdexxxxxxxxxxx presentXXXXXXXX subot XXIX XOXXXÍCAMXXXXXXXicultiesXXX The Governor her pop mXXXXXXXXX Moreover, if there were a repetition of 1967, we would have a direct clash within the Colony with the Official Representative of the Chinese Government, forcing an overt division of loyalties in the population. This has not happened before, and could be very dangerous. The Chinese are not pressing their claim hard at the moment: if they do, we might have to think again. But for the moment I think that there is less danger in continuing to refuse the Chinese request than in allowing it.
5.
The death penalty presents us with substantial political difficulties. The Governor has represented to me that public opinion in Hong Kong is strongly in favour of the death penalty in extreme cases and does not understand why executions are prevented, as it thinks, for UK reasons that have nothing to do with Hong Kong. All my advice indicates that the Governor's assessment of the situation in the Colony is correct. On the other hand I do not believe that it would be possible for Ministers to allow another execution to tak place in Hong Kong. There has been none since 1966 and
/last year
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