TNAG-0085-FCO40-121-Reform-of-the-Administration-of-Law-1968 — Page 6

Reference.. HWB 14/61

13

Sir Arthur Grattan-Bellew

Letter from Chairman of Hong Kong Bar Association

Please see Mr. Carter's minute of 10 October. I shall not

be able to deal with these papers quickly and I should be glad

if you would take them on, consulting me where necessary.

2. Paragraph 6 of Mr. de Basto's letter surprises me. It had

never occurred to me that Mr. de Basto considered that he was

reaching an "agreement" with the Minister of State, let alone an agreement the substance of which could properly be included

in Mr. de Basto's Annual Report to the Bar. The Minister

listened to various representations made by Mr. de Basto on

behalf of the Bar, he commented on some of them and advanced

certain ideas of his own. My distinct recollection, which you

can check from the record, is that the Minister entered into no

specific undertaking and that the object of the meeting was to

let each side better understand the other's point of view. We

could not, I think, object to Mr. de Basto stating in his

Annual Report that he had in fact had discussions with the

Minister of State. But we cannot allow Mr. de Basto to say in

his Report that the Minister of State agreed to anything; and

if he has in mind to represent his informal talk with the

Minister as resulting in an agreement he is either being

singularly naive or more than a little disingenuous.

3. The meeting with Lord Shepherd took place on 9 August and

for Mr. de Basto, on the basis of his own plans for visiting

Australia on 6 November, to give the Minister a deadline of

1 November to reply is simply impertinent.

Copy to: Mr. Carter

JCHIP

(J.C. McPetrie)

11 October, 1968

Mr.

Carter

Sir James McPetrie has asked me to deal with these papers. In view of the tone of Sir James' minute, I suggest that the letter to Fr. de Basto should be strengthened. Below this minute is a redraft for your consideration.

/2.