In Confidence.
18
R
Thatch Cottage.' Trehaddle. Cusgarne Truro. Cornwall.
K CE
20 JAN1975
**JOKIC14/1
17th Jan. 1975.
Rs R
Mr A.C.Stuart.
Hong Kong & India Ucean Dept. Foreign and Commonwealth Uffice. London. S.W. 1.
Dear Mr. Slicant.
LAST
REL
(291) Pnew File
PA
80
AX
REF.
16
23/1
I did intend to write to you and Mr Prendergast in Hongkong direct, as mentioned in your letter 26th November, 1974, but i postponed action as i was planning to travel. I have had to put this off. I was pleased to see the Peter Godber
case went off very well as I expected would be the case.
"
I saw the T.V. shows referring to the corruption in the Hong Kong Police and the latest last night referring to interviews with
ex Supt; on B.B. C. 1. 10.35.p.m, Midweek Special. Tigers and flies" Hong Kong Police. There is no doubt that a very sad and deplorable state of affairs was allowed to grow up there and those in authority now believe they are stuck with it as incurable.
My immediate re-action was, that when
was interviewed with his wife after his release from prison he did not appear to possess the confidence expected of a man who had ample funds readily available to get him and his wife away to live in Luxury for the rest of their lives. This leads me to believe for the price of silence thereafter, he was able to secure financial help from former associates mixed up in the corrupt practices.
I have no doubt that he did receive large sums of money regularly from the places he named. For his part he was the receiver and passed on most of this to those at higher levels. Ur i should say he was required to pass on the money after deducting his share and those above him did likewise. i also believe this practice was operated in all districts where the gambling and vice dens were situated. It seems this still goes on.
I noticed that one gambling den was raided by an independent unit, but the money on the table was small. This leads me to believe that the place was tipped off before the raid was made and was accepted as a means to show the police were doing something to put down the gambling. Whenever I made raids in Shanghai I made thede without search warrants and as a surprise when gambling was at the highest levels to make sure we made a rich naul. I kept the places to be raided a close secret and after setting out switched from intended place to another. it was never possible for a gambling den to exist over a day or so. The rich hauls and very heavy fines made the gambling den operators give up the business, or move to territory out of our jurisdiction. i made it a regular practice to interrogate the conductors and from them go after the operators. i kept headquarters well informed of the backers, and in turn they were informed of the intentions to bring them to book.