SECRET
Cypher/Cat A
PRIORITY
PEKING TO FOREIGN OFFICE
Telno. 539 22 May 1967
SECRET
113
Addressed to Foreign Office telegram No. 539 of 22 May Repeated for information to Hong Kong, Washington and POLAD Singapore.
(106
Washington telegram No. 1698, paragraph 2.
I think there may be something in this. There has been another puzzling event or rather non-event over the weekend. Our Soviet colleagues report that obvious preparations for demonstrations against the Soviet Embassy were being made on 19/20 May. Loudspeaker systems were installed in neighbouring streets, slogans painted, etc. But nothing really happened and the loudspeakers were later taken away.
2. There was also the forcible occupation of the Foreign Ministry by rebels from the Foreign Languages Institute on 13 May. Ch'en Yi is still under attack and some of my colleagues believe he is no longer directing foreign affairs except in a purely formal capacity, though we have no real evidence of this.
3. In a speech at the end of April (being reported by Bag) Chou En-lai is reported to have said that he supported the Foreign Ministry Revolutionary Liaison Station which repre- sented 60 per cent of the staff. He also stated that he was "in charge" of the Foreign Affairs Department as well as those of Finance. and Agriculture.
4. It is not therefore surprising if the Foreign Ministry seems at sixes and sevens. The fact that their statement on Hong Kong of 15 May was not in the form of a Note, and the "demands" were open-ended may imply a compromise between hotheads who insisted in full support for the Hong Kong Left-Wing and the cooler heads who were reluctant to commit the Chinese Govern- ment too far. Hsieh Fu-chih's relatively cautious speech of 18 May would also be consistent with this.
Foreign Office pass Priority Washington 227 and Hong Kong 371 Mr. Hopson
Sent 0700Z/22 May Received 09352/22 May [Repeated as requested]
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"SECRET"
SENT TO HONG KONG AS COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (D.T.D.)
TELEGRAM NO. 99)
Ало
REF.
101
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