D
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX 233 7488
N3.X
SECRET
the Man.
CABINET OFFICE
70 WHITEHALL
LONDON SWIA 2AS
2 March 1982 HQ
3
ELLY
日
MFK 02617
Y
of
& caps 3b
РЁ
> pas 4/3
w
313
Dear Jan.
VISIT TO HONG KONG
I should like to thank you very much for the excellent programme you arranged for me during my short visit to Hong Kong, and to apologise once again for all of the extra trouble occasioned by my unscheduled stopover in Karachi. I was sorry that the resulting compression of my programme meant that the time for many calls was shorter than would have been ideal, but I managed to cover most of the ground.
2. I have discussed with the Secretariat the possiblity of including Hong Kong in the distribution of nearly all of the JIC product: they would be happy to do this on a trial basis of six months initially, perhaps, in case you find the volume indigestible - but would like to have a request from you in writing. You may care to drop a line to Peter Bulstrode.
3. I should like to confirm that we look forward to seeing the new LIC product in the form of the occasional assessment, rather than simple reporting, of local developments, which the PA's department hope to sponsor.
It was generally agreed by those I met in Hong Kong who are involved in watching Chinese activities in Hong Kong that a JIC paper which summarises these activities (and perhaps attempts some tentative "conclusions) would be useful, but all felt they were too close to various aspects of the problem to produce a draft. My problem is the opposite one in that I am not familiar enough with much of the detail, but faute de mieux I shall attempt a first draft which I hope will stimulate constructive criticism. Patrick Williamson has told me that HK & GD would find it useful if we were to aim for the JIC to issue the paper before a scheduled visit by the Prime Minister in September, and I would therefore hope to get something out to you by the end of May. Any material that you were able to feed in in the meantime would be most welcome.
4. I have taken initial soundings here about the question of whether further effort should be put in to extracting information from Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong about internal military, economic, social and political
A L Mason Esq
SEC LIC
Hong Kong
1
SECRET