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CONCERNED TO DEFEND AND WHAT WE SAW NO ADVANTAGE IN PERMITTING. IF OUR ACTIONS MATCHED OUR PUBLICLY STATED POLICY, NO-ONE SHOULD BE SURPRISED. WE BELIEVED THAT OUR POSITION HAD A LARGE DEGREE OF UNDERSTANDING AND SUPPORT, PARTICULARLY WITHIN HONG KONG. THE RELATIVELY MUTED REACTION OUR DECISION TO REFUSE ENTRY TO THE STUDENTS APPEARED TO BEAR THIS OUT.
4. DONOHUE NOTED THIS BUT WENT ON TO ASK A NUMBER OF SPECIFIC QUESTIONS IN A FAIRLY INSISTENT WAY. BRADLEY EXPLAINED THAT HE HAD BEEN AWAY FROM HONG KONG DURING JULY BUT UNDERTOOK TO ANSWER AS BEST HE COULD. DONOHUE ASKED ABOUT THE LEVEL AT WHICH THE DECISION TO REFUSE ENTRY WAS TAKEN. BRADLEY DECLINED TO ANSWER THIS DIRECTLY BUT SAID THAT A DECISION WITH THE LIKELY POLITICAL COMPLICATIONS OF THIS ONE WOULD NOT BE TAKEN WITHOUT CONSULTATION
AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS. DONOHUE ASKED POINT BLANK WHETHER OR NOT THE GOVERNOR HAD TAKEN THE DECISION. BRADLEY AGAIN DECLINED TO
ANSWER YES OR NO. DONOHUE THEN ASKED THAT THIS QUESTION BE REFERRED UPWARDS TO ME FOR AN ANSWER.
5. DONOHUE ASKED ABOUT THE THINKING PROCESS THAT HAD GONE INTO THE DECISION. BRADLEY ANSWERED THAT ANY SUCH DECISION WOULD OF COURSE ONLY BE TAKEN AFTER THE MOST CAREFUL CONSIDERATION. IN RESPONSE TO A QUESTION HE CONFIRMED THAT THIS CONSIDERATION WOULD INCLUDE THE POSSIBILITY OF CRITICISM, INCLUDING FROM THE UNITED STATES. DONOHUE ASKED WHETHER THE DECISION HAD BEEN REFERRED TO LONDON. BRADLEY SAID THAT LONDON WOULD NORMALLY BE INFORMED ABOUT
A DECISION OF THIS SORT BUT THAT IMMIGRATION MATTERS WERE AN AREA
WHERE THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OPERATED AUTONOMOUSLY AND IT WOULD
NOT NECESSARILY REQUIRE LONDON'S APPROVAL.
6.
DONOHUE ASKED WHETHER THE DECISION HAD BEEN DISCUSSED WITH THE CHINESE. BRADLEY DENIED THIS BUT CONFIRMED THAT THE CHINESE
HAD RAISED THE CONFERENCE WITH US. DONOHUE ASKED WHAT THEY HAD ASKED US TO DO ABOUT IT AND BRADLEY CONFIRMED THEY WANTED US TO PREVENT IT TAKING PLACE. (THE TEXT IN MIFT MAKES IT CLEAR THE AMERICANS KNEW THIS). DONOHUE THEN ASKED WHETHER, HAVING REFUSED TO BAN IT, WE UNDERTOOK TO REFUSE ENTRY TO THE STUDENTS. BRADLEY DENIED THIS CATEGORICALLY. WE HAD NOT, NOR WOULD WE GIVE AN UNDERTAKING OF THAT SORT TO THE CHINESE. DONOHUE PRESSED THIS POINT. IN RESPONSE BRADLEY GAVE A FRANK BUT GENERAL DESCRIPTION
OF OUR DEALINGS WITH THE CHINESE ON SUCH MATTERS. THE AMERICANS
WERE WELL AWARE THAT THE CHINESE SOUGHT TO APPLY PRESSURE O
1.3 FROM TIME TO TIME TO TAKE CERTAIN POLITICAL ACTIONS IN HONG KONG. SOMETIMES WE REJECTED THESE DEMANDS OUTRIGHT, FOR INSTANCE IN
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