129
CONFIDENTIAL
Cypher/Cat A
FLASH PEKING TO FOREIGN OFFICE
Telno 560 24 May, 1967
CONFIDENTIAL
Addressed to Foreign Office telegram No.560 of 24 May, Repeated for information to Hong Kong, Singapore and Washington.
Your telegram No.386:
Following for de la Mare.
I am strongly in favour of taking some retaliatory action. The problem is to find some thing which will not lead to escalation in diplomatic warfare and increase our difficulties here. Visas are a case in point. We have just applied for visas for two extra wireless operators from Singapore so that we can keep twenty four hour watch here.
Our own operators are under great pressure and it is important that we get the extra hands, though the Chinese may refuse or delay in any case.
2.
I agree that N.C.N.A. is the best target. Perhaps we should take a leaf out of the Chinese book. They recently expelled three Soviet correspondents, allowing three others to remain, because they have only three N.C.N.A. men in Moscow. We could therefore as a gesture reduce the London N.C.N.A. staff from eight to say four. This should leave the one
Reuters staff man undisturbed here on a basis of reciprocity.
ろ。
If this were agreed I hope it would be possible to
allow the deporting men reasonable time to leave. A method the Chinese have also used here is to refuse to renew
residence permits when these expire. I do not know the position in London, i.e., how often permits have to be renewed, but if some of the N.C.N.A. permits are due to come up for renewal soon, it might be possible to deal with them on that basis. On the other hand you may feel that this is not drastic enough, though we could issue a strong statement immediately announcing our decision to reduce the N.C.N.A. staff for all the relevant reasons, specifying four individuals whose residence permits will not be renewed on expiry and for whom we will not repeat not admit replacements. The Chinese Chargé would presumably be informed of this decision before publication of statement.
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Alternatively we could do something to N.C.N. A. in Hong Kong, subject to the views of the Governor.
5.
I realise that this would not amount to a very grand gesture of retaliation, but it could be dressed up in the statement to appear more than it really is. I fear the closing of the N.C.N.A. office and expulsion of all its staff would in present circumstances not only lead to expulsion of Reuters
CONFIDENTIAL
/but risk
PP AD
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