CONFIDENTIAL
1092
1982
1. Thank you for letting me see the copy of the telegram from the Canadian Consul-General in Hong Kong. I entirely agree that it is a depressingly inaccurate picture, unrelieved by any proper insight. I hope that the Political Adviser has been able to take the Canadians in hand in Hong Kong.
2. It is, of course, perfectly true that when the telegram was sent in early December, Hong Kong was passing through a particularly bad period. I am not sure that it is wise to do any extensive lobbying exercise with the Canadians here until we have something more positive to say about the course of the diplomatic talks with the Chinese.
3. It is not true that the Canadians have not been briefed. Shortly after Mrs Thatcher's visit to the Far East I was asked by Mr Beattie, Minister/Counsellor for Political and Economic Affairs at the Canadian High Commission, to give him a briefing on the visit. I did this, if I recall correctly, early in October last year.
4.
I do not mind either you or Mr Thomson talking to Mr Schram on a general basis, but if you like you might suggest to him that he comes along and has a talk with me afterwards. In both cases, however, we shall have to be careful to say virtually nothing on the question of sovereignty and much of what we have to say will have to follow the lines of recent briefings to the press, eg by Lord Belstead in Hong Kong last month.
5. I agree that there is no need to take any action in Ottawa. Mr McLaren's letter to Mr Staples in Bangkok about the line given to our Heads of Mission at the recent conference in Bangkok is quite a useful quarry for hacking out lines. Some of that material could be used with Mr Schram.
Antonell
10 January 1983
CONFIDENTIAL
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