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FROM: R D CLIFT, DATE: 14 July 1983
HKD
(04)
cc: PS/Mr Luce PS/PUS
Mr Giffard Mr Donald o.r.
VISIT TO LONDON BY GOVERNOR OF HONGKONG AND EXCO UNOFFICIALS: RECORDS
A
1.
十
I attach Hong Kong telno 973 asking for agreement for the records of the meetings between this group and the Prime Minister, the Secretary of State and Mr Luce to be shown to EXCO.
2.
You have consulted No 10 about the records of the Prime Minister's meeting. They will not agree to the record being shown to EXCO or even a digest of it being given to them in writing. No 10 do not wish to establish a precedent which might give visitors the notion that they could query records of meetings with the Prime Minister.
3. We shall have to tell the Governor this, asking him to limit himself to an oral briefing. However I recommend very
strongly that he should be authorised to show EXCO the records of the meetings with the Secretary of State and Mr Luce. The visit was a success precisely because Ministers showed great confidence in the Unofficials and treated them as colleagues,
rather than as members of a team on the other side of the table. It would create a very sour note if we said that none of the records of their meetings could be shown to them. They did not take notes themselves because they believed that they would be
+ *tive notes themselves becaus
4. We could certainly instruct the Governor to ensure that EXCO were given no encouragement to query the contents of the records.
5.
I submit a draft telegram.
14 July 1983
НКК 026/5
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
2 5 JUL 1983
DESK OFFICER
INDEX
ملا
PA
REGISTRY Action Taken
7325/7 CM12517
R D Clift
Hong Kong Department
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