TNAG-0028-FCO40-64-Relations-with-China-1968 — Page 14

CONFIDENTIAL

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I attach draft telegrams to Peking and Hong Kong. A parallel

submission is being made in the Commonwealth Office.

Background and Argument

3. There are two N.C.N.A. journalists in prison in Hong

Kong together with at least twelve other communist journalists.

It is not, however, absolutely clear how many people the

Chinese consider to be in the category of "patriotic journalists"

(Hong Kong telegram No. 185). In common with other prisoners

these people all receive visits once a month from relatives or

friends, and the N.C.N.A. journalists have already been visited

by representatives of their organisation in the guise of friends.

4. Despite these regular visits the Chinese have since July,

1967, insisted that official visits should be allowed to the

N.C.N.A. Journalists and since December, 1967, that official

visits by N.C.N.A. in Hong Kong should be allowed to the

"patriotic journalists" as well. They have used the failure

to agree to such official visits as an excuse for not granting

access to Mr. Groy.

5. On 22 December the N.C.N.A. in Hong Kong demanded that

official visits should be allowed to tho N.C.N.A. and "patriotic

journalists" and prisoners from other communist organisations 218) (Hong Kong telegram No. 1908). They also demanded that they

should be allowed to bring food and clothing to the prisoners.

Those visits were to be made at the time of Chinese New Year

(30 January) and the communist press began a campaign of

propagenda about ill-treatment of prisoners with the clear

/intention

CONFIDENTIAL