GRS 214
SECRET
SECRET FUTURE/EGRET
Enter
32667 - 1
FUTURE EGRET
DESKBY 171200Z
FM FCO 161555Z JULY 84
TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG
TELEGRAM NUMBER 1306 OF 17 JULY 1984
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING
247
PERSONAL FOR GOVERNOR FROM CRADOCK
YOUR TEL NO 1939 AND PEKING TEL NO 1440:
FUTURE OF HONG KONG : GREEN PAPER
25
HICK
REPEIVĖDIN
01113
. 7 JUL 1984
INDEX
2.1
JA
AV
1. I SHOULD BE GRATEFUL IF YOU WOULD RECONSIDER OUR REQUEST TO
OMIT AT LEAST THE FINAL SENTENCE OF PARAGRAPH 23 OF YOUR DRAFT STATEMENT. AS YOU ARE AWARE, MINISTERS OPINIONS HERE ARE BY NO MEANS UNANIMOUS ON HOW THE ROLE OF THE GOVERNORSHIP SHOULD DEVELOP
IN THE 1990'S. THE PRIME MINISTER HAS PERSONALLY INSTRUCTED US
TO KEEP OUR OPTIONS OPEN ON THIS. I AM CONCERNED LEST THE LAST
SENTENCE OF PARAGRAPH 23 OF YOUR TEL NO 1920 SHOULD BE INTER-
PRETED AS A HEAVY HINT THAT HMG IS THINKING OF MOVING IN THE DIRECTION OF AN ELECTED GOVERNOR, AT A TIME WHEN MINISTERS HAVE
NOT TAKEN A DECISION ON THE MATTER.
2.
PLEASE THEREFORE OMIT THE LAST SENTENCE OF PARAGRAPH 23 AND BEGIN PARAGRAPH 24 WITH SOMETHING ON THE LINES OF (B) OF FCO TEL
NO 1293.
3.
I AM CONTENT THAT YOU SHOULD RETAIN THE LAST SENTENCE OF
PARAGRAPH 25.
HOWE
DISTRIBUTION
LIMITED
HD/HKD
HD/FED
SECRET
COPIES TO
MR BURROW, LEGAL ADVISERS MR FIFOOT, LEGAL ADVISERS SIR P CRADOCK.
262