香港總督府
PERSONAL AND
CONFIDENTIAL
HKA 431/393/6.
DENK
INDEX
24 SEP 1979
GOVERNMENT HOUSE
HONG KONG
29 August 1979
LAST
RE!
Des
Telty
}
! Bl
1726/39
In Geneva the Secretary of State said he saw advantage in prolonging my Governorship for two years. I promised to let him have an answer by the autumn. The PUS subsequently telegraphed and asked for an answer as soon as possible. I told you by telephone that this, to some extent, depended upon the prospects of a successful operation to replace my hip joint.
The London surgeon (John Older of King Edward VII) has been consulted by Dr Harry Fang, a Hong Kong orthopaedic surgeon, and they agree that there is a virtual 100% prospect of success provided the operation is done soon. This means that I would need to go into hospital for 2 weeks in mid-November, and would be on sticks or crutches for six weeks thereafter. All in all it would involve about 2 3 months off, though in case of emergency in Hong Kong, this could be shortened to 11⁄2 months, though I do not think this would be very desirable. I have confirmed that both Jack Cater and Philip Haddon-Cave will be here during November, December and January. I have also confirmed with the two senior Unofficial members of Executive Council that they think Jack Cater could manage as Acting Governor for this period.
Once I have been examined by the surgeon and we see how I get on, I think these timings could conceivably be reduced, though I can see meritin taking a fairly good break while I am about it. i have had no great difficulty in coming to a decision over previous extensions. They were clearly necessary because of indecision about a successor, and I was quite confident of being able to carry on. This time it has been much more difficult because I genuinely was not sure whether the Secretary of State was right. It is so easy to stay on in a job like this too long. Moreover with the passage of time there is always the greater possibility of one's luck and popularity running out. On this occasion I have therefore sounded out the few people here who I can trust to give impartial advice on this, and it was against this background that I telegraphed my agreement to you on August 25.
Sir Edward Youde KCMG MBE
Chief Clerk
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
a.c.HKPF/MACLEHOSE/M.
/ In spite
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