TNAG-0071-FCO40-107-Disturbances-in-Hong-Kong-propaganda-1969 — Page 37

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Mr. Hazi

You will recall Sir David Trench's letter to

Lord Hill at B/75 about a B.B.C. television programme on Hong Kong. It was agreed between Sir Arthur Galsworthy and Sir John Johnston at (75) and (76) that a follow-up letter should be prepared for signature of Lord Shepherd or the Secretary of State.

2. We have found this by no means an easy task.

Our first draft was about to be submitted, when

L

was

Lord Hill's reply to the Governor (flagged) received; our further draft below takes account

of this.

3. It is the slant and balance rather than the

factual accuracy of the programme in question that

the Governor criticises. The same has to a

considerable extent been the fault in B.B.C. radio

reporting. I cannot now give chapter and verse for any past excesses. Nor can we identify the "notable occasion" to which Sir A. Galsworthy refers in paragraph 4 of his minute (although I recall an occasion when the midday edition of the Evening Standard bore a headline "Night of terror in Hong

Kong" which bore no relation whatsoever to the

contents of the report that followed or to the official reports in telegrams received that morning in London covering the events of the night in question). The failing of the B.B.C's. radio broadcasts has been the inclusion of reports hot from Hong Kong sometimes inaccurate or exaggerated and more often given a significance which they did not possess. On this aspect I think the Hong Kong Association struck the right note in the representations they have made to the B.B.C. as reported at X of Kr. Collar's letter flagged K.

4. As mentioned above, the Hong Kong Association has entered the lists in support of the Governor (they have a copy of his letter, although their initiative was independently inspired), led by Mr. Keswick who until recently was a member of the

B.B.C. General Advisory Council. I feel that a

Minister must also lend the Governor support, particularly since Lord Hill's reply is so unhelpful. I have drafted for the signature of Lord Shepherd who has already crossed swords with officials of

the B.B.C.