CONFIDENTIAL
Mr. Kewell
Mr Galsworthy, Hong Kong Dept
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Hong Kong: A Change of Destiny
W
The Secretary of State has seen the Governor's despatch on the above subject which you submitted on 1 August.
Given the importance of the developments recorded in this document, the Secretary of State feels that it would be appropriate to send the Governor a short reply from himself. I should be grateful if you could let us have a draft, picking up the points in the covering minutes indicated by the Secretary of State. For personal flavour you might refer to some or all of the following three points:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
the indication by Deng during our August 1984 visit to Peking that the Chinese had decided they could trust Britain on Hong Kong;
Sir S Y's comment in EXCO the following day that he felt able to commend the agreement to the people of Hong Kong in good conscience;
the fact that at the Guard of Honour for the Prime Minister in Tien An Men in December some 150 Hong Kong people were present alongside the British delegation.
I am happy to help in working up these anecdotal references if necessary!
Achatt
16 September 1985
(P F Ricketts)
cc:
PS/PUS
Sir W Harding
Dr Wilson
FED
CONFIDENTIAL