From: The Rt. Hon. Barbara Castle M.P.
1. Acknowledgement
W62)
Gk
A
2.
socfetary
to see Copy
ry of State
17th October, 1978
3.
"Consulay, Department for
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draft reply from
Dear David,
418/10
RITA NIGHTINGALE
FOREIGN MAU
1025.
18 OCT 1978
ALLOCATIONS SECTION
I very much appreciated your willingness, while at the Labour Party Conference in Blackpool, to give some of your time to me and to Mr. David Lyman, the son of Rita Nightingale's lawyer in Bangkok. Both he and I were extremely sorry that, owing to my inability to contact him in time, we were not able to take advantage of your kind agreement to see us. I was all the more sorry because I had a most interesting talk with Mr. David Lyman- and Mr. David Hallmark who is representing the firm over in this country - and I think you would have found it valuable to have heard at first hand his views on how he believes we can secure Rita's release. However, I have now received the enclosed letter from him. From this you will see that he believes that the disclosure of hitherto undisclosed information bearing on Rita's case would help to persuade the Thai government to release her and he has sent me the enclosed list of questions, the answers to which he believes would be invaluable in helping to cast doubt on the verdict reached in her case. I should be most grateful if you could let me have the answers to these questions as soon as possible so that I can forward them to Mr. Lyman. I am sure you will agree that his first hand experience of the Thais is very helpful to us in assessing the best way of approaching the authorities and of producing the desired result.
When you have the answers to these questions, I would be most grateful if you would agree to see me and Mr. David Hallmark again.
I add my own thanks to those which Mr. Lyman has asked me to convey to you for your consistent help with this case and look forward to hearing from you soon.
CRINTOR
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY NO. 23
DES%
19 OCT 1978
PA
The Rt. Hon. Dr. David Owen, M.P.,
Yours ever, Усино
Barbara
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.