CYPHER/CAT A
IMMEDIATE HONG KONG
TELEGRAM NO. 185
CONFIDENTIAL
RICE
CONFIDENTIAL
147E3 1968
HUD 2/2
300
TOP COPY
TO COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
13 FEBRUARY 1968
ADDRESSED CO TELNO 185 OF 13TH FEBRUARY RFI PEKING.
Jeyb
(249
HW
YOUR TELEGRAM 246 AND PEKING TELEGRAM 125 TO FO: VISITS TO
PRISONERS.
THIS PROBLEM IS FAR FROM STRAIGHT-FORWARD:-
-
(A) WE HAVE NO IDEA HOW MANY PRISONERS THE CHINESE WOULD CLAIM
TO BE ''PATRIOTIC JOURNALISTS'' THE FIGURE OF 12 WAS OUR
•
(UNDERLINED) REPEAT OUR CUNDERLINED) ESTIMATE. FOR EXAMPLE, A
NUMBER OF PRINTERS FROM WEN WEI PAO WERE ARRESTED LAST MONTH,
M
•
CY TELEGRAM 106) AND IT WOULD NOT BE AT ALL UNLIKE THE CHINESE TO
CLAIM THEM AS ''JOURNALISTS'
!! IT IS RELEVANT THAT WE HAVE JUST
RECEIVED A REPORT THAT THE ''NAM FANG DAILY'' IN CANTON, ON
FEBRUARY 8TH, LAUNCHED AN ATTACK ON US FOR THE # UNLAWFUL
DETENTION OF OVER 20 REPORTERS OF THE WEN WEI PAO''.
(B) AS AN OFFICIAL CHINESE GOVERNMENT ORGANISATION, NCNA IS IN
AN EASILY DISTINGUISHABLE CATEGORY. BUT ORGANISATIONS
* INDIRECTLY
SUBSIDISED BY THE CPG'' ARE AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT MATTER. WE HAVE
NO MEANS OF KNOWING WHAT BODIES QUALIFY FOR THIS DESCRIPTION. NO
DOUBT, HOWEVER, ALL COMMUNIST TRADE UNIONS, COMMERCIAL ENTERPRISES
AND SCHOOLS WOULD SO QUALIFY. AT A GUESS 80% OF THE COMMUNIST
PRISONERS STILL IN GAOL MIGHT BE ELIGIBLE FOR SPECIAL VISITS IF
WE ACCEPTED THIS CRITERION.
LAST
PAU
ار
246
3010
201
12.
ALL THESE
CONFIDENTIAL
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