GR 230
SECRET
SECRET
FM HONG KONG 201038Z SEP 82
TO IMMEDIATE TOKYO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 61 OF 20 SEPTEMBER
327
Мне
024/05
FORM AUFT AM 411
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING (PERSONAL FOR AMBASSADOR), F C O (FOR CLIFT
HKGD).
(326
PERSONAL FOR DONALD FROM GOVERNOR
YOUR TELNO 93. FUTURE OF HONG KONG DRAFT SPEAKING NOTE
323
Drug OIR
1. HAVING NOW SEEN IN COLD PRINT WHAT IS PROPOSED I MUST EXPRESS STRONG DOUBT ABOUT THE WISDOM OF THE VERY DRAMATIC TONE OF PARAS 6 AND 7 OF YOUR TELNO 90. I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THERE WAS A REAL RISK THAT THE CHINESE WOULD BELIEVE THAT WE WERE SIMPLY TRYING TO MAKE THEIR FLESH CREEP. ECONOMIC ACTIVITY IN HONG KONG MIGHT COLLAPSE, QUICKLY OR PROGRESSIVELY, BUT HONG KONG WOULD NOT BE DESTROYED IN A SINGLE DAY'' NOR BECOME A WASTELAND''. I ALSO FIND THE CONCEPT OF ''PANIC AMONG LARGE SECTIONS OF THE POPULATION'' OVER DRAMATIC. THE IMMINENT PROSPECT OF THE CHINESE COMING ACROSS THE BORDER MIGHT CAUSE SUCH PANIC BUT DENG WOULD NO DOUBT REPOSTE THAT UNDER HIS PLAN HONG KONG WILL BE LEFT TO RUN ITS OWN AFFAIRS WITH VERY LITTLE INTERFERENCE FROM PEKING. THE REFERENCE TO ''ENORMOUS'' FOREIGN INVESTMENTS IS ALSO OVERDONE. THE BULK OF INVESTMENT IN HONG KONG IS DOMESTICALLY GENERATED. I THINK PARA 6 WOULD THEREFORE BE BETTER IF IT ENDED AT .... ''CONTROL IT' AND IF THE FIRST TWO SENTENCES OF PARA 7 WERE OMITTED.
2. THERE WILL NO DOUBT BE ANOTHER CHANCE TO DISCUSS THIS STATEMENT WITH THE PM IN PEKING BEFORE THE PM ACTUALLY MAKES IT AND SO I WILL CONFINE MY COMMENTS TO THE ABOVE FOR THE MOMENT.
YOUDE
LIMITED
HRGD (4)
FED
PS
PS/LORD BELSTEAD SIRT BULLARD
MR GIFFARD
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