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Letter to issue

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Robert C

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PS/Land/Glimth

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The Secretary of State would be grateful it

Lord Gleworth could send this letter.

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RECEIVER REGISTRY

2 0 JAN 1989

DESK OFFICER

REGISTRY

INDEX

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Action Taken

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From:

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Hong Kong Department

13 January 1989

PS/Lord Glenarthur

Mr Gillmore

Mr McLaren

Mr Burns, News Dept

Private Secretary

TIMES LEADER: RETREAT FROM HONG KONG

A 1.

We discussed the leader in today's Times. You said that you thought the Secretary of State would want the misrepresentations in the leader to be corrected on the record in a letter to the Editor. I told you that both Sir Percy Cradock and the Governor had expressed to me their hope that there would be a formal rebuttal.

2.

I submit a draft letter to the Editor of the Times. The Secretary of State will wish to consider whether it could better go from him, with a degree of added weight, or from Lord Glenarthur. I think the former would be better.

3.

I think it would be tactically wise to concentrate on a fairly narrow rebuttal of the obvious errors in the leader.

It covers a lot of ground (albeit very sketchily and inaccurately), and to attempt to deal with everything could lead to an unfocussed letter which would lay us open to further attack.

/4. On

CONF IDENTIAL

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