RECF
0.
INDL
HKD 384/1
03 MAR 1992
I
CONFIDENTIAL
FROM: P F Ricketts
Hong Kong Department
STRY
1 Taken
ZB.
minte
DATE: 31 January 1992
cc: PS/Lord Caithness
PS/PUS
Sir J Coles My Burns
Mr Parker,
Asst Legal Adviser Mr Yaghmourian, SEAD
Security Department
ergan,
ter.
Mr Berman, Legal Adviser
PUBLICATION OF CLASSIFIED FCO TELEGRAMS: THE CASE OF
MR LORRAIN OSMAN
1. Last year, Mr Kevin Cahill, a journalist, wrote to Sir Arthur Watts, alleging corrupt action by FCO officials handling papers relating to the request from the
Hong Kong authorities to extradite Lorrain Osman from the UK
to Hong Kong to face fraud and other charges. In the process, he threatened to publish some confidential telegrams relating to the case, which had come into his possession. It was agreed to rule out legal proceedings, not least because they would be likely to produce messy and possibly damaging publicity for HMG, and instead to send him a reply which would (a) warn him to substantiate or back-off the allegations of corruption and (b) invite him to
consider carefully the consequences of publishing classified
material. This was designed to frighten him off without
uttering threats which it might not be possible or expedient to carry out (with the Peter Wright case in mind).
2.
Mr Cahill speedily retracted his allegations but has now
JM1ABF/1
CONFIDENTIAL
13