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001676 MDHIA 3241
SUCH CURRENCY. THE MEDIA HAD CLEARLY READ HIS COMMENTS AS SOME ENDORSEMENT. WONG SAID AGAIN THAT LEE KUAN YEW HAD BEEN CAREFUL NOT TO OFFER ANY VIEW HIMSELF: IF THE MEDIA HAD SO INTERPRETED HIS REPLIES, THEN THEY SHOULD LOOK AGAIN AT WHAT LEE KUAN YEW HAD ACTUALLY SAID. I REITERATED THAT THE NET EFFECT WAS THAT WHAT HAD HAPPENED HAD BEEN UNHELPFUL AND HAD ONLY SERVED TO FUEL PEKING'S CONSPIRACY THEORIES.
5. IN THE MARGINS OF THE LUNCH THE MFA OFFICIAL ACCOMPANYING WONG HINTED TO MY THIRD SECRETARY THAT THE MFA WAS LESS THAN HAPPY WITH THE SENIOR MINISTER'S REMARKS AND HAD NOT BEEN CONSULTED. HE INTIMATED THAT LEE KUAN YEW HAD BEEN SPEAKING PERSONALLY MITCHELL INDICATED ALSO THAT WE HAD FOUND THE REMARKS UNHELPFUL. COMMENT
6. THERE ARE SIGNS OF SOME BACKING OFF HERE. WONG'S EXPLANATION IS DISINGENUOUS IF NOT UNBELIEVABLE. BUT HE CLEARLY CAME PREPARED WITH IT. HOWEVER EMBARRASSED THE MFA MAY FEEL, HOWEVER, THE DAMAGE HAS BEEN DONE. WE ARE UNLIKELY TO GET ANY PUBLIC RETRACTION OR ELUCIDATION FROM LEE KUAN YEW. BUT WE SHOULD CONTINUE TO SEEK TO BRING HOME TO HIM THE PROBLEMS HE HAS CAUSED AND SEEK AT LEAST BENIGN SILENCE. THE GOVERNOR MIGHT THINK IT APPROPRIATE TO WRITE TO LEE KUAN YEW HIMSELF NOW THAT ALL THESE INTERVIEWS HAVE APPEARED. I CERTAINLY HOPE THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR DEFENCE WILL AGREE
TO BROACH THE MATTER WITH LEE KUAN YEW, WHO WILL INDEED BE IN SINGAPORE AT THE TIME OF MR RIFKIND'S VISIT, ALONG THE LINES INDICATED (PARA 7 OF YOUR TELNO 996 TO PEKING, NOT TO ALL). I THINK IT WOULD BE RIGHT, ALSO, (HONG KONG TELNO 2924, NOT TO ALL), TO FOLLOW UP MY EXCHANGE WITH WONG BY SPEAKING TO THE SINGAPORE HIGH COMMISSION IN LONDON (THOUGH I BELIEVE AZIZ IS PRESENTLY HERE ON LEAVE).
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