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CONFIDENTIAL
INDE
12 NOV 1984.
CICER 6161
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PA
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DD HONG KONG 10010OZ
GRS 400
CONFIDENTIAL
FM FCO 091716Z NOV 84
TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG
TELEGRAM NUMBER 2218 OF 9 NOVEMBER 1984
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING
1.
-YOUR TELNO 3388: HONG KONG AGREEMENT: ASSESSMENT OFFICE REPORT
MINISTERS HAVE CONSIDERED YOUR PROPOSALS THAT EITHER ONE OR
TWO EXTRA VOLUMES CONTAINING EVIDENCE FROM ORGANISATIONS TO THE
ASSESSMENT OFFICE BE PUBLISHED TOGETHER WITH THE ASSESSMENT
OFFICE REPORT.
2.
WE DO NOT THINK THAT PUBLICATION IN WHITE PAPER FORM OF THESE
VOLUMES CAN BE JUSTIFIED BY THE LIKELY LEVEL OF INTEREST IN THE
DETAILED SUBMISSIONS IN THE UK. WE ASSUME THAT THE OPINIONS
EXPRESSED WILL IN ANY CASE BE SUMMARISED IN THE MAIN REPORT. WE
HAD NOT PREVIOUSLY REALISED THE LIKELY LENGTH EITHER OF THE MAIN
REPORT OR THE DOCUMENTS IN QUESTION. PUBLICATION OF DOCUMENTS
OF THIS LENGTH WOULD GIVE US MAJOR PHYSICAL PROBLEMS, AND WOULD
MAKE THE REPORT ROUGHLY TWICE AS LONG AS THE PEARCE COMMISSION
REPORT ON RHODESIA, ITSELF A VERY SUBSTANTIAL DOCUMENT. IT WOULD
ALSO BE VERY EXPENSIVE.
3. NEVERTHELESS WE CAN SEE THE ADVANTAGE IN MAKING THE
SUBMISSIONS AVAILABLE AND AVOIDING ANY CHARGE THAT WE ARE
SUPPRESSING THE EVIDENCE.
WE CAN ALSO SEE THE DIFFICULTY IN
SELECTING SOME, BUT NOT ALL SUBMISSIONS FOR PUBLICATION.
4.
WE THINK THE SOLUTION IS TO CONFINE THE WHITE PAPER TO THE
MAIN REPORT OF THE ASSESSMENT OFFICE AND THE REPORT OF THE
MONITORS, BUT IN ADDITION TO PLACE ALL THE DETAILED SUBMISSIONS
IN THE LIBRARIES OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS AND LORDS IN BOUND FORM
AND TO DRAW ATTENTION TO THE FACT THAT WE HAVE DONE SO. WE
COULD USE PHOTOGRAPHICALLY REPRODUCED TYPESCRIPTS FOR THIS
PURPOSE. COPIES COULD ALSO BE MADE AVAILABLE TO THE PRESS, THOUG
WE DOUBT IF MANY OF THE UK PRESS WOULD GO FAR INTO DOCUMENTS OF
THIS LENGTH.
5.
INTEREST IN HONG KONG IN THE DETAIL OF THE EVIDENCE
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