TNAG-0028-FCO40-64-Relations-with-China-1968 — Page 166

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Hong Kong telegram No. 92 to Commonwealth Office

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4. I am forced therefore to the conclusion that the release of any considerable number of prisoners in Hong kong would be too damaging and still cannot be contemplated. There are indeed some minor steps to effect a few releases that I am considering, but these propose nothing likely to affect the situation.

5. The best I can do therefore is to suggest measures which would in themselves be helpful rather than damaging to us here in Hong Kong, and which might also be helpful to the Mission and Grey. I propose as follows. Nothing that I have said in paragraphs 3-4 above applies to the deportation or 'release to China' of convicted prisoners or men held under detention. On this point I adhere to the views in paragraph 2 of my telegram 1909 and I am prepared to release considerable numbers if they can be got out of Hong Kong and kept out. I imagine Chargé d'Affaires would still doubt the value of a direct enquiry in Peking as to whether those 'released to China' would be accepted, and it seems we can only test what the Chinese reaction might be in some other way. Clearly we do not want to play Hsueh Ping too early. Instead we could inform the Chinese through the Hong Kong branch of the Chinese Merchants Steam Navigation Company, which normally arranges the repatriation of Chinese nationals from Hong Kong that we would, within a couple of days, be presenting the two film 232 stars (my telegram 3 to Peking) on the border for return to China

68 on the understanding that they would not be permitted to return to

Hong Kong. Prior notice is necessary to enable their border authorities to be instructed, otherwise entry would certainly be refused. These two persons are proposed because the Communists have already accused us of attempting their forced deportation to Taiwan and they might find it difficult to refuse to let them back into China (especially if we were able to persuade the two prisoners to say they wanted repatriation).

6. Operational details of any such move would need more thought; but if it were unsuccessful, and entry were refused, we should not lose much and might even gain some points for propaganda. If it succeeded, and gave us an indication that released persons might be accepted, the next step might be for Chargé d'Affaires in Peking to pursue the question of swapping Hsueh Ping, and if absolutely necessary his NCNA colleague into the bargain, for Grey. If this succeeded, we could then continue to try to work the film star ploy with others, in the hope that in time CPG attitudes towards the Mission might sorten. From my point or view I could offer to release almost any of prisoners on this basis, without any need to obtain a quid pro quo, since it would be all gain as far as I am concerned. I am fairly sure also that public opinion would accept such releases (although we might have to be careful with prisoners convicted or really serious violent crime). If however released prisoners were not accepted over the border on

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