Mr Popplewell
@
CHINESE NATIONAL DAY RECEPTION
1.
The Chinese Embassy have informed me that they have been instructed to cancel the National Day reception which was to have been held on September 30th. They are also cancelling or postponing a number of other social events that were to have been held between now and October 10th (Mao's death occurred on 9 September).
2.
The decision is of some interest as the Chinese Embassy had been working on the assumption that the period of mourning would end on 18 September. They have clearly now received fresh instructions from Peking. The reasons for the change of plan are not immediately apparent. We do not yet know whether the celebrations in Peking have been cancelled but this seems probable. The last time that the Chinese cancelled a National Day reception was immediately after the abortive flight of Lin Piao which ended in his death. On that occasion it was fairly apparent that the Chinese had wanted to avoid a leadership line-up at a time when internal. tensions in the leadership were still unresolved. This could be a factor in the present decision.
3. The Embassy will be writing to all those who had been invited to the Reception.
22 September 1976
The Martin
J FR Martin
Far Eastern Department K 253, 5539
Mu. Doavid
fals Vicity
2319.
Cc:
Mr Paul
Mr Male
Mr Cortazzi
PS/PUS
PS/Lord Goronwy-Roberts
PS/Mr Luard
PS/Dr David Owen
PS/Mr Rowlands
PS/Mr Tomlinson
Dr Wilson, Cabinet Office
Mr Walker, Research Dept, FE
Mr Milton, HKD
Head of P&CD
Mr Love, CRE
du.
Protocol Dept, Ministry of Defence
CONFIDENTIAL