CONFIDENTIAL
GRS 477
IMMEDIATE
CYPHER CAT A
FM MANILA 180530Ż
CONFIDENTIAL
TO IMMEDIATE GOVERNOR HONG KONG TELNO
INFO IMMEDIATE FCO
FCO PASS TO HONG KONG
RECEIVED IN
RECONO1.52 1975
OF
20 JAN1975
1~KCK 3/5V8/2
FOLLOWING FROM PS LORD GORONWY ROBERTS
STEWART EDITOR HONG KONG STANDARD, AND MAURICE
TRACY RANG ME THIS MORNING. STEWART SAID THAT THE
HONG KONG GOVERNMENT HAD MADE A STATEMENT WHICH HE FELT
CONTRADICTED WHAT THE MINISTER HAD SAID ABOUT ELECTIVE
GOVERNMENT. THE MINISTER HAD IN HIS VIEW SAID THAT
HONG KONG COULD HAVE ELECTIVE GOVERNMENT IF IT WANTED IT
AND THAT HE THOUGHT THAT THIS WOULD BE 'GOOD FOR HONG
KONG'.
2. I SAID THAT I DID NOT THINK THAT THE MINISTER HAD SAID THIS. HE HAD THROUGHOUT HIS VISIT EMPHASISED
THAT A GENUINE DESIRE FOR CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGE IN
HONG KONG WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO RESIST,
BUT THAT ANY SUCH DESIRE SHOULD TAKE FULLY INTO ACCOUNT
ALL THE RELEVANT FACTORS, SOME VERY SENSITIVE
3. TRACY EXCLAIMED THAT THE GROUP WHICH HE HAAD FORMED
AND WHICH WOULD BE MEETING THIS AFTERNOON RECOGN-
ISED THAT THERE COULD BE NO INDEPENDENCE FOR HONG KONG,
DID NOT WANT AN ELECTED GOVERNMENT AS SUCH BUT WISHED TO PRESS THAT EXCO LEGCO AND URBCO SHOULD BE MADE MORE ACCOUNTABLE TO THE PEOPLE, THE FORMER TWO
BY ELECTION OF THE UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS. HE ASKED IF THE
CHINESE WOULD OBJECT TO THIS. I SAID THAT I COULD NOT
ANSWER THAT POINT BUT SURE THAT THIS WAS PRECISELY
THE SORT OF POINT WHICH THE
IN MIND.
MINISTER WISHED TO BE BORNE
4. LORD GRONWY ROBERTS WOULD BE CONTENT IF YOU WISHED TO SAY ON HIS AUTHORITY THAT HIS ANSWER WAS INTENDED TO
CONVEY SIMPLY THAT IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT FOR ANY BRITISH GOVERNMENT' TO RESIST A GENUINE POPULAR MOVEMENT FOR CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGE, PROVIDED THAT IT TOOK FULL
ACCOUNT OF ALL THE EXTERNAL AND OTHER IMPLICATIONS INVOLVED.
TURPIN
FILES
HKIOD (4) NEWS DEPT
RED
COGD
GIPD
SIR D WATSON
MR WILFORD
REPEATED AS REQUESTED7
CONFIDENTIAL