CONFIDENTIAL
statement shows that it does not necessarily commit the Chinese
to retaining Mr. Grey until all twelve Chinese news workers are
Indeed, it is interesting to note that the editor
released.
of the Ta Kung Fo at his press conference refused to confirm
that this was the official interpretation of the Chinese
statement. Conversely the statement does not guarantee the release of Mr. Grey even if all twelve news workers were
released. Although the Chinese would appear to have kept their freedom of action, they have, to some extent, restricted their scope of manoeuvre by publicly linking Mr. Grey with the twelve news workers in this way.
6.
Hitherto the Chinese seem to have deliberately avoided
There
being drawn into neming a price for Mr. Grey, presumably because they realise that this would restrict their freedom of action. Why they should now have decided to break their silence? are a number of indications, including the defensive tone of the N.C.N.A. report, which suggests that they have been embarrassed. by the world-wide publicity given to the Grey case since Mr. Cradock's visit in November. With the exception of the Hong Kong communist press the Chinese side of the case has not been stated and it is possible that they felt the time had come publicly to put the record straight from their point of view. In addition we know that they have been under some pressure from the communists in Hong Kong not to make concessions and for reasons of morale they may have felt the need to reassure their supporters. It would be premature however to conclude that
CONFIDENTIAL
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.