CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
FM FCO
TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG TELNO 70
OF 081725Z JANUARY 88
"ATH W
со
130763
MDHOAN 6250
нев oila.
15 JAN 1988
TOP COPY TOPIC Q DIST ?
YOUR TELNO 96: REPLY TO
MARTIN LEE
1. BERNARD FONG OF THE SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST TELEPHONED PS/LORD GLENARTHUR THIS MORNING. HE SAID THAT HE HAD BEEN PASSED A COPY OF LORD GL EN ARTHUR'S LETTER TO MR LEE AND WAS RINGING AS A COURTESY TO ASK WHETHER LORD GLENARTHUR WOULD OBJECT TO ITS PUBLICATION. PS/LORD GLENARTHUR INDICATED THAT WE HAD NO OBJECTION.
2.
THIS IS EVIDENTLY PREFERABLE TO OUR TAKING THE INITIATIVE TO BRING THE TEXT INTO THE PUBLIC DOMAIN. IF NEWS DEPARTMENT ARE APPROACHED BY OTHER JOURNALISTS ON THE BASIS OF THE REPORT WHICH WILL PRESUMABLY APPEAR IN TOMORROW'S SCMP THEY WILL BE READY TO MAKE AVAILABLE COPIES OF LORD GLENARTHUR'S LETTER ON REQUEST. WE SHALL ALSO FIND WAYS OF DRAWING IT TO THE ATTENTION OF JOURNALISTS PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN HONG KONG.
HOWE
YYYY
DISTRIBUTION
26
MAIN
24
HONG KONG AGREEMENT RESTRICTED
LIMITED
HKD
HD/FED
RESEARCH (FE)
DEP HD/PUSD
PS/LORD GLENARTHUR
PS/MR EGGAR
MR MCLAREN
MR GILLMORE
HD/PUSD
ADDITIONAL
2
MR FIFOOT, LEGAL ADVISERS
NNNN
MR DICKSON, NEWS DEPT