COSETMINETAT
- 5
news of the approach by N.C... to the Hong Kong authorities
about detailed arrangenonto. (A full account of the present
state of our exchanges with the Chinese on prison visita io
civen in the Annex.)
7. Our previous objections to allowing R.C.R.A. representativos to enter this country in the absence of any progrese on Mr. Grey
(a) The adverse publicity which this would attract.
Er. Gerald Long, the General Manager of Reuters,
in the course of a long end balanced review of
the possibilities ezen to us, as he say them,
told re some weeks ago that he thought that the
prase would regard it so quite indefensible to
allow further N.C.3.A. journaliste into this
country while Mr. Gray was still hald incomunicado,
and that in such circumstances we could no longer
count on the support of the press in our handling
of the case;
(b) Cur doubts on the tactical wisdom of neoting the
Chinose demands in toto before we had made cone
progress over Fr. Grey.
The risks of (a) still exist. Only with eone difficulty has
publicity about är. Gray been kept to ita prosent low loval. Tho National Union of Journalists and Er. Anthony Royle, 2.7., for example, have agreed to say nothing for the Doment on the understanding that we might be able to report some progrags
shortly. If we do lift the bun on the entry of 1.0 thia will no doubt becoma public knowledge. Indood the Chinese
H.0.3.A. staff
CAFFIDENTIAL
/Kay
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