Cypher/Cat A
274
CONFIDENTIAL
KING TO FOREIGN OFFICE
Telegram No. 17
CONFIDENTIAL
5 January, 1968
Addressed to Foreign Office telegram No. 17 of
5 January,
Repeated for information to Hong Kong.
232
My telegram No. 1:
Prison Visits.
Mr. Hsueh during my interview with him on
31 December stated that formal request for NCNA officials to visit their prisoners in Hong Kong had been made months ago, and that he indirectly repeated this formal request to me on 27 November., This (as I told Mr. Hsueh) is not (repeat not) true. In view of possibility of publicity in future it is desirable to get our own records straight.
We have no papers prior to 22 August but according to our recollections question developed as follows:
2.
(a) during August Press Department of Chinese Minister for Foreign Affairs in response to our repeated requests for Consular access to Grey passed telephone message to us stating that access to Grey depended on permission being given for NCNA to visit their prisoners in Hong Kong.
(b) Governor of Hong Kong informed us that this could be agreed and we informed Press Department by telephone that if access were granted to Grey access would
There also be granted to NCNA prisoners in Hong Kong. was no reaction in Peking.
(c) When I saw Mr. Hsueh on 20 August I complained that we had stall not repeat not) been granted access to Grey although had informed News Department that permission could be granted for NCNA officials to visit their prisoners in Hong Kong. Acting Vice Consul (grp. undec.] said situation had changed, implying their offer was withdrawn.
(a) In September we were informed by Hong Kong that NCNA officials had in fact visited Hsven P'ing that month together with his wife. The News Department were [? grp. omitted].
(e) When I raised the question of access to Grey. again with Mr. Hsueh on 27 November, he said the News Department had told us that access depended on the NCNA
I told him being granted access to their journalists. that access in Hong Kong had been granted and the News
Mr. Hsueh said he had Department had been so informed.
not received a report on this but would enquire.
We sent
/a Note
CONFIDENTIAL
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