Foreign and Commonwealth Office
London SWA ZAIA
ait _nokell Esq
British Information Services
NEW YORK
Draw David,
Telephone 01-
Your reference
FILE
123
270 3287
Our reference
SURABM
Date
нко
301/1
3 July 1989
em
NEW YORK TIMES EDITORIAL AND OTHER HOSTILE US PRESS ON HONG KONG
1.
-122
We spoke about my letter to you of 29 June. We agree that if a reply to the 9 June New York Times editorial is to have any real impact it should appear in the Secretary of State's name. Since it will take time for such an article to be cleared, and in any case it will need to take account of the Secretary of State's 2-4 July visit to Hong Kong, we conclude that we should not seek a right to reply to the 9 June editorial.
2. Instead, the department is attracted by the idea of seeking to publish a free-standing article in the Secretary of State's name in the New York Times after his return from Hong Kong. While not referring directly to any specific critical articles that have appeared in the US press, this article would seek to answer such criticisms as have been raised and to set out our own case for the time being. We shall be commending such a course of action to the Secretary of State on his return from Hong Kong, co-ordinating closely with Ian Whitehead, News Department who is accompanying him on the visit.*
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GH Leicester
Hong Kong Department
cc: I R Whitehead, Esq, News Dept
R D Clift, Esq, Political Adviser, Hong Kong
K McGlynn, Esq, HK Economic Office, New York F Cornish, Esq, Washington
P Ricketts, Esq, Washington
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7 28 June to Ian Whitchead to which the 'interior reply both