TNAG-0052-FCO40-88-Communist-activities-in-schools-1968 — Page 35

CONFIDENT IAL

(b) we should not reactivate the diplomatic offensive at once;

we should however issue a public statement if Sir D. Hopson

does not receive his visa by 10 August and thereafter consider

reactivation.

I attach a draft telegram. The Commonwealth Office concur.

BACKGROUND AND ARGUMENT

3. After very careful consideration it was decided that the Chung

FLAG B Vah School should be deregistered (C.Ü. telegram No. 1292 to Hong

Kong), but that the Chinese should be made aware that any subsequent

application for the registration of a new school in the existing pre-

mises under a new name, staff and management would be judged on the

same criteria as applications to register any other new schools. The

FLAG C arguments were set out at length in a draft submission by the Common-

wealth Office, which was not in the event made. As expected, when

the intention to deregister became public, there was a good deal of

protest by local Communists in Hong Kong, later reflected in the main-

lană press.

Sir D. Hopson was summoned to the Chinese Ministry of

Foreign Affairs on 3 August to receive an oral statement "expressing

the Chinese Government's serious concern" about the deregistration

FLAG D of the school (Peking telegram No. 712). He reported that the inter-

view was in a lower key than might have been expected, and that no

FLAG E protest was made (Peking telegram No. 715), but reference was made

to the inconsistency of deregistration with our expressed desire to

ease Sino-British relations. It therefore seems possible, though not

certain, that the Chinese are delaying Sir D. Hopson's visa because

of the school and may, as the Governor says, be waiting to see

../ whether

CONFIDENTIAL