TNAG-0070-FCO40-106-Disturbances-in-Hong-Kong-propaganda-1968 — Page 17

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Introduction:

CONFIDENTIAL

Report on the operation of the specinl

publicity unit

Funds and staff for a special publicity unit which is the subject of this report were approved by the Finance Committee on Jun However, it would be difficult to disentangle the operation of the u. from the work of the publicity committee with which it has been closely linked from the beginning.

The publicity committee

The publicity committee was formed on May 16 under the c ship of the Deputy Colonial Secretary. The committee's fundamental i were stated as follows:

2.

(a)

to strengthen the population's resolve;

(b) to deflate opposition and show up their

weak points;

(c)

to strengthen/restore the confidence in Hong Kong and its future of people in Hong Kong and overseas.

From these fundamental aims were derived the lines for pretiat information work which have since guided the work of the committee and his special publicity unit. The only change since made in that cri,inal';:: ment of aims has been to leave concern for overseas publicity to a s committee.

3.

The original committee was composed, undir the chairmondi ! the Deputy Colonial Secretary Mr. G.C. Hamilton, of the Deputy Direct. Information Services; Mr. KW.J. Topley, then Secretary of the Univers! Grants Committee; Mr. J.W. Hayes, Chief Musistant Sucretary for Chin Affairs; Chief Superintendent Russell White as representative of the Commissioner of Folice; Mr. N.M. Ho, Atmintint Director of Education; Mr. J. McGregor, Assistant Director of Commerce and Industry; Mr. Denis Brooks, Director of Broadcasting. Mr. J.K. Locking was sucretary to lia committee from the outset.

As may be deduced this composition involved members chosen to represent departments with an obvious interest in information and communi- cation in the widest sense às well as those chosen for the individual contribution they re able to make to the unusual tasks before them.

Mr.

5.

Later, Mr. J. Cater as Deputy Colonial Secretary (Special Duties) replaced Mr. Hamilton as Chairman and the Committee was enlarge i by the addition of Mr. D. Ford from the Special Duties Section of the Colonial Secretariat, who then became the committee's secretary. Lai who is also a member of the special publicity unit became a member the committee and Mr. K.Y. Yeung now represents the District Commissioner, New Territories.

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