CO537-5116 — Page 123

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TOP SECRET

R

FOREIGN OFFICE, S.W. 1.

26 JUN 1949

23rd June, 1949.

My dear Ridbother,

ནང༦

940957

I do not know if you have seen Nanking telegram No. 817. I attach a copy since it seems to us that the question of action against the New China News Agency in Hong Kong is not an altogether simple one. As regards the Agency itself, it is clear that in fact this is much more than a news agency it functions as a propaganda and almost certainly as an Intelligence organisation as well. It has links with Communist Parties all over the world, including this country and the satellite Powers and is busily expanding. Its activities are clearly financed from Communist Party funds.

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All this, however, only puts it into the same category as Tass and (for that top secret matter) certain British news agencies that exist in this world with the assistance of His Majesty's Government.

I would therefore like to invite attention to the Ambassador's advice in paragraph 2 of his telegram to Hong Kong. The Ambassador suggests that repressive action should only be taken against the China News Agency if specific subversive articles should be printed. I hope this definition will not be interpreted too widely and will only be applied in the light of an actual threat to security in Hong Kong itself. All the same, "subversive" is a difficult word to interpret and what may well be subversive in Hong Kong might not be subversive elsewhere

e.g. /

J.B. Sidebotham, Esq., C.M.G.,

Colonial Office.