SEP 08 '87 14:24 HERBERT SMITH HK
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As regards this territory the English language newspapers at least have kept the public informed since 1984 of Mr. Wright's internationally publicised views and o intentions and of the litigation which has been running in Australia. More immediately, in the issue of the South China Morning Post for 22nd July 1987 local interest in "Spycatcher" was alleged. Coincidentally this was followed by a phone call to the second defendant, the Editor in Chief both of the South China Morning Post and of the South China Sunday Morning Post, from News Ltd, an Australian corporation associated, like Times Newspapers Ltd, the publishers of "The Sunday Times" in London, with the first defendants, South China Morning Post Ltd; all being ultimately owned or controlled by Mr. Rupert Murdoch. second defendant was asked if he was interested in serial. rights to "Spycatcher" and, having said that he was, was. told that News Ltd could arrange for the grant of auch. rights in respect of some 12,000 words at a price of A$5,000; roughly equivalent to R$27,500. The second defendant asked News Ltd to make the necessary arrangements. This they did; both furnishing him wich copy of the book as published by Viking Penguin Inc and procuring for the first defendants the appropriate licence from Heinemann Publishers Australia Pty Ltd. I feel entitled to assume that the price has been paid and that a substantial proportion of it has found its way into Mr... Wright's pocket.
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On 26th July 1987 there appeared in, the "Spectrum" section of the issue of the South China Sunday Morning. Post a 4,000 word excerpt from the chapters of "Spycatcher
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dealing with allegations of a plot against Sir Harold Wilson during his time as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, phone tapping in the French Embassy in London and Mr. Wright's reminiscences on the personalities of Anthony Blunt and others whose treachery has brought the British Security Service into disrepute. It was substantially the same, including some photographs and captions, as an article which