CONFIDENTIAL STRICTLY PERSONAL
CONFIDENTIAL
STRICTLY PERSONAL
FM FCO
TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG
TELNO 792
OF 13163OZ MAY 92
HKD 06/1
(200
004342
MDHOAN 4388
STRICTLY PERSONAL FOR GOVERNOR FROM BURNS, AUSS
(199
7189
YOUR TELNOS 1277 AND 1278: NEW GOVERNOR: PRESS REPORTS
·
1 I HAVE FIELDED THESE TELEGRAMS IN JOHN COLES' ABSENCE THIS
WEEK IN THE UNITED STATES. I WILL SHOW THEM TO HIM ON HIS RETURN. MEANWHILE, YOU MAY LIKE THE FOLLOWING IMMEDIATE COMMENTS.
2. WE HAVE ALREADY BEEN PUZZLING OVER THE APPARENT LEAKS TO DANNY GITTINGS, ABOUT WHICH YOU WROTE IN YOUR LETTER OF 2 MAY. I HAVE TO SAY WE ARE ALL THOROUGHLY MYSTIFIED BY THAT. IT WAS AGREED AND ACCEPTED BY ALL OF US AT OFFICIAL LEVEL THAT WE SHOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH DANNY GITTINGS WHILE HE WAS HERE, AND NONE OF US HAVE SPOKEN TO HIM EITHER BEFORE OR AFTER THE ELECTIONS. WE DO NOT OURSELVES THINK THAT IT IS AT ALL UNLIKELY THAT GITTINGS HAS SIMPLY PULLED TOGETHER INTELLIGENT SPECULATION, AND CLAIMED OFFICIAL SOURCES. WE HAVE ENCOUNTERED THIS TECHNIQUE OFTEN ENOUGH BEFORE. (I SHOULD ADD - NEED I DO SO
NONE OF US HAVE BEEN BAD-MOUTHING THE CHIEF SECRETARY).
3. THE SITUATION IS RATHER THE SAME WITH JOHN ELLISON OF THE ORIENTAL DAILY NEWS. ONCE AGAIN, NONE OF US HERE (NEWS DEPT, HKD OR I MYSELF) HAVE TALKED TO HIM FOR SOME WEEKS NOW. THERE WAS AN ORIENTAL DAILY NEWS REPORTER AT THE FAMILY INTERVIEW WHICH MR PATTEN GAVE EARLIER THIS WEEK, BUT THE NEWS DEPT REPRESENTATIVE THERE ASSURES US THAT THERE WAS NO DISCUSSION OF THE STAFF HE MIGHT TAKE TO HONG KONG. I SHOULD ADD THAT NEITHER I NOR PETER RICKETTS HAVE SEEN THE TELNOS 761 AND 762 TO WHICH YOU REFER.
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4. AGAIN, IT IS LIKELY THAT WHAT ELLISON WRITES IS THE RESULT OF INTELLIGENT SPECULATION DERIVING FROM MANY MONTHS OF WATCHING THIS PARTICULAR SAGA AND PICKING UP THE ODD TITBIT. IF IT REFLECTS ANY MORE RECENT HARD INFORMATION, THEN I HAVE TO SAY THAT WE THINK IT CAN ONLY HAVE COME AT SECOND, THIRD OR FOURTH
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CONFIDENTIAL STRICTLY PERSONAL