CONFIDENTIAL
AND EVERY COMMENT IN THE MEDIA, AND THE GOVERNOR WHO WAS CONFIDENT THAT THE BULK OF THE POPULATION WOULD PRAGMATICALLY ACCEPT THE
PROJECT WITH LITTLE OR NO FUSS. IN REPLY TO THE GOVERNOR, S FOR I
CONFIRMED THAT ONLY A LIMITED NUMBER OF UN-INFLUENTIAL GROUPS WERE LIKELY TO BE CRITICAL OF THE PROJECT ON ENVIRONMENTAL/SAFETY
GROUNDS AND PROVIDED THAT HKG WAS ABLE TO POINT TO THE
EMPECCABILITY OF THE ADVISER'S CREDENTIALS THERE WOULD BE LITTLE TO WORRY ABOUT. AFTER THE PRESENTATIONS TO EXECUTIVE COUNCIL AND TO EPCOM, DR MARSHALL COULD ASSUME A LONG-STOP ROLE IN WHICH
HE WOULD MAKE PUBLIC STATEMENTS ONLY AFTER DELIBERATING ON
THE POINT AT ISSUE WITH S FOR 1.
14. IT WAS AGREED THAT UNTIL CONTRACTS WERE SIGNED AND BUILDING
BEGAN THERE WAS VERY LITTLE FOOD FOR PUBLIC DEBATE, BUT ONCE WORK
BEGAN INTEREST MIGHT HEAT UP IN WHICH CASE IT WOULD BE USEFUL
TO FIELD DR MARSHALL OR POSSIBLY EVEN A KEC REPRESENTATIVE. SBTC
INFORMED THE MEETING THAT THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY WERE ORGANISING A
SEMINAR ON 21 OCTOBER TO WHICH THEY HAD INVITED MEMBERS OF A VISITING DELEGATION FROM THE AMERICAN NUCLEAR SOCIETY, CONSERVATIONISTS AND REPRESENTATIVES OF HKG AND CLP. THE LATTER HAD DECLINED, BUT IT WAS AGREED THERE WOULD BE NO HARM IN DR
MARSHALL APPEARING ON THIS OCCASION TO TALK ON GENERAL ASPECTS
OF NUCLEAR POWER, POSSIBLY ON THE SAFETY OF THE PWR IN THE LIGHT OF THE THREE MILE ISLAND ACCIDENT. AN APPEARANCE EVEN AT THIS STAGE
WAS PREFEREABLE TO THE SUSPICION THAT A REFUSAL TO ATTEND MIGHT
AROUSE.
15. IN CLOSING THE GOVERNOR ASKED DR MARSHALL TO SUPPLY S FOR E
WITH HIS DATA REQUIREMENTS AND DR MARSHALL AGREED THAT IT WAS TIME
TO ACTIVATE THOSE PARTS OF AEA THAT WOULD EXAMINE IN DETAILS THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF THE PROJECT. HE ALSO PROMISED TO SUPPLY
S FOR E WITH INFORMATION ALREADY FURNISHED BY CLP.
ENDS
2. ON PRESENTATIONS, STONES IS OUT OF HONG KONG UNTIL 22 SEPTEMBER
BUT I HOPE TO DISCUSS WITH SIR SIDNEY GORDON WHEN HE RETURNS
THIS AFTERNOON.
MORRISON
LIMITED
JNU
SIR E YOUDE MIL P.H. MOBERLY
HKVGD
HR DONALD
FED
TRED
CONFIDENTIAL
THIS TELEGRAM WAS NOT ADVANCED
ADDITIONAL DIST:
GUANDONG NUCLEAR