G. F. 323
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commercial activity from Rome to Milan in 1970 and are reviewing the effectiveness of this policy). I do not think we should post a government information officer to Italy at the present time. However, a commercial political information presence in Rome could be a valuable adjunct to the T.D.C. Milan services in about a year's time
depending to some extent on the rate at which the Italian economy improves over the next twelve months. Such an officer might initially be attached to the Rome Embassy (possibly a retired Embassy official if one could be found) but should maintain close liaison with our Brussels office and the T.D.C. Milan office. If the T.D.C. Milan office expands, the officer should preferably be attached to that office and be prepared to travel frequently between Milan and Rome. His task would be to build up a more comprehensive two-way visit programme between Hong Kong and Italy; to advise upon, adapt and stimulate placement in the Italian press of publicity material produced or collected through the proposed I.S.D. overseas publicity unit; and to be on the spot to exploit as focal points for a broader-based Hong Kong publicity output some of the promotions of the T.D.C. and the H.K.T.A. It is encouraging to learn that the H.K.T.A. is hoping to establish a representative office in Milan next year and the presence of this office together with the existing T.D. C. office in the same city will provide a greater scope for this latter function. In the meantime government information material should be distributed through the T.D.C. overseas press service and more attention should be paid to the British Embassy's information service in Rome as an additional outlet. Britain also finds that some special event, exhibition or conference is necessary to stimulate press interest in general information as opposed to "hard-news" which is best left to the agencies. They recently organised a medical conference in Rome which provided considerable press space for peripheral informa- tion subjects.
81. Italian television (RAI/TV) unfortunately closed down their Hong Kong bureau last year because they hoped to establish a representative office in Peking. This did not materialise because of the political furore which developed over the much publicised "China" film. They are now sending a correspondent, Francesco Mattioli, out to the Far East to cover Hong Kong and Japan but have not yet decided on a final base. It is suggested that the Director of Information Services might write to Dr. Vittorio Boni of RAI/TV, Rome to try and persuade them to re-establish themselves. in Hong Kong. They work closely with 'Visnews' in Hong Kong and engage them, from time to time, for special feature productions. They would like Hong Kong television feature suggestions from D.I.S. and would consider flying out a team at their own expense for a worthwhile story. They would expect help in Hong Kong with their programme, meetings and assistance with transport including internal heli- copter flights.
82. Close contact should be maintained in Hong Kong with the Italian news agency (ANSA) correspondent Mr. Canassa (who also writes for the Italian news magazine "Panorama") and with his wife (Lucia Borgia) who writes for the Rome paper "Il Globo" on economic matters. (Neither of these correspondents currently appear on the I.S.D.
list of Foreign Correspondents in Hong Kong). Il Globo is
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