TNAG-0070-FCO40-106-Disturbances-in-Hong-Kong-propaganda-1968 — Page 79

CONFIDENTIAL

PART III

The Special Publicity Unit was very hastily thrown together to meet an urgent requirement for counter-propaganda and a positive propaganda effort directed to winning hearts and minds for the government.

2.

Its components were roughly selected to make use of the written word, by incorporating ISD staff, the spoken word by in- corporating RHK staff and personal contact by borrowing staff from

SCA.

2.

When making these selections on a functional basis it was also possible to borrow people who were expected to show some political sense and a readiness to operate outside the usual field of government information work, both as to the methods of communi- cation and the matter to be communicated.

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In the event all of the key personnel who were borrowed to form the Unit have met these requirements to a large degree. This consideration of the future of the Unit will be valueless if it is not based on clearly stated arguments so it will be as well to get right down to individual cases.

4.

The four men seconded from the ISD were a Principal Infor- mation Officer, Peter Moss, an Information Officer, Gerald Xavier, and two Assistant Information Officers, Class One, Tse Ming and Leung Tung-pui, the establishment for the initial six months period being two Senior Information Officers and two Assistant Information Officers Class One.

5.

Moss immediately revealed a flair for counter-propaganda writing which could be effectively reproduced in Chinese. There is every indication that he could be even more useful in the production of longer-term, positive material for the 'hearts and minds' phase which we now embark upon. Unfortunately he had to be diverted to equally urgent work in the border area where he has combined press liaison duties with useful propaganda press work in that part of the New Territories.

6.

Xavier is more simply a press man and demonstrated great enthusiasm and ability in the preparation of the factual material on which much successful counter-propaganda work has been based. He too had to be diverted to the border and is now on a long-planned three-month information course in England. Both Moss and Xavier are popular with pressmen, particularly foreign correspondents.

17.

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