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NEW YORK TIMES EDITORIAL AND OTHER HOSTILE US PRESS ON HONG KONG

1.

(113)

Following receipt of my letter (copy attached) trying to foist him with a draft reply to the NYT 9 June editorial, David Snoxell rang me today. He pointed out that, ideally, the piece should be printed in the Secretary of State's name and this would obviously require clearance. Otherwise he could submit in the form of a letter under his own name: doubtful if the NYT would accept this and far less impact in any case.

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We agreed that either:

(i)

(ii)

a direction should be sent from FCO to New York and Washington explaining that HKD is swamped and that critical comment on Hong Kong (increasing) must therefore, by and large, go unanswered; or

the Secretary of State might put his name to an article following his return from Hong Kong. The NYT would publish this, free-standing, and this might then be deemed to have stated our case for the US public at least for the next couple of months. Ian Whitehead, familiar with the style required and closely involved in the Secretary of State's visit, might be the best man to draft such an article.

Grateful for your views as to what to do next. I agreed with David Snoxell that given the circumstances we should not seek to reply to the NYT editorial, but he says he needs instructions to that effect.

CODE 18-77

29 June 1989

G H Leicester

Hong Kong Department

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