RUSHFORD.
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Mr Rushford
DEPARTURE OF COMMANDER HOWELL FROM HONG KONG
1.
You may wish to know of the attached papers because of the possibility, which I hope is remote, of an action for defamation.
2. You will see that Hong Kong originally hoped to avoid any statement about the real reasons for Commander Howell's hurried retreat from Hong Kong but were driven from this by undesirable publicity. The psychiatric specialist's report is in the Assistant Commissioner of Metropolitan Police's letter to me of 11 September, supplemented by a letter from the Consultant Physician at the ODM. Assistant Commissioner Woods confirmed to me on the telephone that there was no objection to the public use of anything in his letter; and I read the relevant part of our telegram no. 791 to Dr Cole over the telephone, who also said that he had no objection. Even if you think there might be a chance of a successful action for libel against the Hong Kong Government as a result of their publication of the press statement suggested in para. 1 of our telegram no. 791, the Acting Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Mr Starritt, has told me he has no fear that Commander Howell would make a fuss. He has returned to the Metropolitan Police, and will have to make the remainder of his career there. Mr Starritt has no doubt that, when he has recovered from his illness, Commander Howell will accept the reality of what has happened to him and make the best of it.
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY No. 51
24 SEP 1974
HKK 14
13 September 1974
CC Mr Male
Many thanks.
ACSL
A C Stuart
Hong Kong & Indian Ocean
Dept.
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