TNAG-0028-FCO40-64-Relations-with-China-1968 — Page 116

CONFIDENTIAL

5

(The Manager, Mr. Self, has been waiting for an exit visa since June despite the fact that his replacement has already arrived and the Deputy Manager, Kr. Crozier, is also due to leave.) Sir Donald Hopson is strongly of the opinion (Peking telegram No. 74) that the best hope for both Mr. Grey and the bankers is to accept these Chinese terms and then work on other individual cases in the resulting improved atmosphere. He believes that any attempt to haggle or whittle down the Chinese terms would only end in a further deadlock and no progress on

any point.

9. I agree with Sir Donald Hopson that we should accept the first Chinese "demand" and suspend our requirement for exit visas in London, saying to the Chinese that we do so on the elear understanding that exit will be freely provided for our

We run no great officials in China both now and in the future.

risk if we do co. The relevant Crder-in-Council can remain on the books, at any rate for the time being, and the requirement can be reimposod 12, as seems highly unlikely, we find out through the security services that the Chinese are attempting to withdraw large numbers of their Mission from London without making any move about exit visas for our officials in Peking. 10. I think too that we have little to gain now by continuing

Although our to withhold ontry visas for the Bank of China.

bankers in Shanghai are having difficulties over leaving, they are not being molested in any way, and the best hope for progress in their case is probably to grant the Chinese entry visas, but to be ready to create difficulties over Chinese bankers staying

CONFIDENTIAL

/01