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the Hong Kong authorities informed a Communist
the China Merchants
controlled organisation
Steam Navigation Company -
of what they
intended to do. The film atara were taken
to the border on 14 March but after
considerable discussion with Chinese officials
they eventually returned (to detention in Hong
Kong) the next day. (Hong Kong telegram No. 338).
On 16 March the Charge d'Affaires was
summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
in Peking to receive a "serious protest" from
the Chinese Government about our attempt
15
forcibly to deport the film stars and a
demand that they be declared innocent and set
That and/in
free and in future they should not be sent
anywhere outside Hong Kong against their will.
In replying Sir D. Hopson reminded the
Chinese that it was they who had first raised
the question of the film stars and that in
seeking to deport them the Hong Kong Government
were trying to relieve tension. The Chinese
on the other hand were making propaganda
capital out of the incident and making the
solution of our mutual problems more difficult.
The Governor in Hong Kong telegram No. 3444
states that he thinks the best way of following
up the incident and trying to turn it to our
advantage would be to pursue very much the
same line taken by Sir D. Hopson, more in
sorrow than in anger. The detailed line he
proposes is given in paragraph 4 of this
telegram.
5. The Governor suggests that the Chinese
should be approached simultaneously in Peking
and London and in Hong Kong through the
China Merchants Steam Navigation Company and
/ through
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