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the best possible thing that could happen to improve Sino/ British relations would be for a good acceptable arrangement to be agreed for Hong Kong. He concurred, so I again repeated that the best possible way to ensure that happening, would be for his Chinese friends to stop making statements about the future of Hong Kong and simply leave the matter in the capable hands of the negotiators. Adley thought that we would have to agree to differ: but then, rather non sequitur, said that Hong Kong had acted shamefully in its treatment of Edward Heath who, like him, was simply trying to help Hong Kong see that they were their own worst enemies. I asked whether he had spoken to Mr. Heath about his Hong Kong visit, and he said no he had only read about it in the newspapers and heard Mr. Heath on radio. I went on to tell him in forth- right terms the Hong Kong view of Mr. Heath and his visit to China and Hong Kong. Mr. Adley had nothing to say to that, but said he thought it incredible that Hong Kong people should go on and on about being consulted on the future: I reminded him that Mrs. Thatcher had made it clear that any agreement would have to be acceptable to the people of Hong Kong, and that H.M. The Queen had repeated that assurance in her speech at the State Opening of Parliament. He laughed at this and said it meant nothing: that Mrs. Thatcher may be very good on a number of matters but knew nothing about the Chinese. I reminded him that this was British Government policy and that, to me, his attitude was one of disloyalty. In reply he mumbled something about Winston Churchill again!
10. At one stage in this part of the conversation, Mr. Adley referred again to the support he got for his views from Hong Kong people. I asked whether, without breaching confidence, he would be prepared to tell me who these people were. hesitated at first and then said, "I suppose there are not very many of them who write to me". I suggested that the few that did were probably cranks or simply supporters of the Beijing regime, to which he quickly and rather angrily replied, "No, No - would you call William Lee (i.e. Y.K. Pao's man here in London) a crank - he agrees entirely with me as to what should happen in Hong Kong?" I replied that there simply had to be a mis- understanding, for I could certainly say from the conversations I had had with William Lee over the past year that this was not the view he had expressed to me to which Adley replied, "Well, I suppose he is bound to say one thing to you and another to me".
11. Mr. Adley asked whether it would help if he were to go to Hong Kong and discuss matters frankly and openly with those in Hong Kong who disagreed with him. I said that a visit by him at this time would be probably" as welcome as a hole in the head": he did not flinch, but pressed on to say that he had an out- standing invitation from the Ming Pao to go to Hong Kong.
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