(IPG5/3/240/1)
CONFIDENTIAL
166
FOREIGN OFFICE, S.W.1.
6 October, 1967.
I was sorry to learn from your letter SCR 1/2/4841/66 of 28 September about our lapse over keeping you informed about what was happening in Peking.
2.
The reason for a dearth of information in late August and early september was that we were getting almost all cur informa- tion about Feking via the French Embassy here and one or two other friendly Missions. At the French request, we tried to keep knowledge of this means of communication as limited as possible and did not repeat anything sent by this method to posts abroad unless absolutely essential.
3. We had hoped to cover the most important points in Guidance telegram o. 238 of 19 September and I am very sorry to hear that this was only sent to you by bag. I gather the reason was that J.I..G.D. had been inundated with letters of complaint from various posts overseas which maintained that long earlier Guidances on China need not have been telegraphed. They failed to take into account the fact that your needs in Hong Kong are different from those of other posts. This has now been remedied and any future guidance on China will be telegraphed to you.
4. We now have partial telegraphic communications with Peking, even though cypher facilities there are very limited.
As you will probably have noted, Peking are now repeating all important telegrams to you and we have been doing the same for our outward telegrams to Peking. I can assure you that I am very well aware how important it is that you should be kept abreast of develop- ments in Peking. We have your interests very much in mind and will see to it that you are kept fully informed in future.
I am sending a copy of this letter to Carter in the Common- wealth Office.
5.
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T. A. K. Elliott, Esq., Political Adviser,
Hong Kong
•
(James Murray)
CONFIDENTIAL
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