Reference.........................................................
CONFIDENTIAL
26
Mr Bentley, FED
CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN HONG KONG
1.
Peking telegram no. 718 suggests that the
A Case to Answer"
authors of the booklet "Hong Kong: might have been briefed by the Chinese Embassy here.
2.
In the context of the passage reported by Peking, this might not be very surprising or matter much. It would be consistent with what we know of the Chinese Embassy's instructions if they were to try to put indirect pressure on HMG over the representative. But if the booklet's authors are in direct touch with the Chinese Embassy and if the Embassy had anything to do with the booklet's conclusion that, although the Chinese do not demand the return of Hong Kong, they would welcome action by the British proletariat to hand it back to China, then this would be much more disturbing.
3.
Do you have any way of probing this possibility? For example, are you on terms with the Chinese Embassy that would make it possible for you to mention the Hong Kong booklet and see how they react? Perhaps we should anyway, in reply to Peking's telegram, put this thought on paper and see what the Ambassador and the Governor have to say about it.
26 September 1974
CC
Mr Wilford
Sir D Watson
Mr Male o.r.
DCS
A C Stuart
Hong Kong & Indian Ocean
Dept.
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CONFIDENTIAL