TNAG-0031-FCO40-67-Relations-with-China-1968 — Page 83

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DIPLOMATIC PRACTICE AND THEREBY RAISES QUESTIONS FOR ALL COUNTRIES WITH REPRESENTATION IN PEKING. SIR D. HOPSON SEES ADVANTAGE IN TH GOVERNMENTS CONCERNED SENDING FOR THE CHINESE REPRESENTATIVE IN THE CAPITAL RATHER THAN INSTRUCTING THEIR REPRESENTATIVE IN PEKING TO TAKE ACTION AS SOME OF THE LATTER CARRY LITTLE WEIGHT. THIS CHOICE IS FOR THE GOVERNMENT CONCERNED, BUT WE SHOULD LIKE YOU TO CONVEY OUR VIEW THAT REPRESENTATIONS OUTSIDE PEKING MIGHT BE

MORE EFFECTIVE.

3. DETAILS OF HOW THE PRESENT SITUATION AROSE ARE CONTAINED IN PEKING TELEGRAM NO 559 (WHICH IS BEING REPEATED SEPARATELY).

A POINT WHICH COULD PERHAPS BE CLARIFIED IS THAT WHILE THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT IMPOSED A REQUIREMENT THAT MEMBERS OF THE CHINESE MISSION SHOULD APPLY FOR EXIT VISAS FOLLOWING THE ATTACK ON THE BRITISH MISSION IN PEKING IN AUGUST 1967, THIS DID NOT MEAN THAT ANY APPLICATION WOULD AUTOMATICALLY BE REFUSED. IN FACT NO APPLICATIONS WERE MADE AND NO MEMBERS OF THE STAFF OF THE CHINESE MISSION LEFT UNTIL AFTER THE REQUIREMENT WAS LIFTED IN APRIL THIS YEAR BUT IT IS INCORRECT TO ARGUE AS THE CHINESE HAVE DONE THAT THEY WERE PREVENTED. YOU MAY WISH TO LEAVE A BOUT DE PAPIER SETTING OUT THE DETAILS.

4 THOUGH WE MAY CONTRIVE SOME LIMITED PUBLICITY ABOUT THE PLIGHT OF THE MISSION TO COINCIDE WITH APPROACHES TO THE GOVERNMENTS, IT IS NOT OUR PRESENT INTENTION TO LAUNCH A FULL-SCALE PUBLICITY COMPAIGN WHICH MIGHT IN ANY WAY EMBARRASS GOVERNMENTS WHICH WE HAVE ASKED TO HELP US.

5. WE SHOULD BE GRATEFUL TO KNOW IF THERE ARE ANY SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS WHICH WOULD APPLY IN THE CASE OF THE GOVERNMENT TO WHICH YOU ARE ACCREDITED IF YOU WERE INSTRUCTED AS PROPOSED AND FOR ANY OTHER COMMENTS, E G AS TO THE MERITS AND MORALITIES OF DI SCREET PUBLICITY.

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