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this represents a "victory" for extreme elements in Hong Kong.
Messages from Mr. Grey
7. The various messages despatched by Mr. Grey suggest that
the Chinese may be prepared to ease slightly his conditions of
detention, but the main purpose is probably window dressing.
It also looks as if the Chinese may now permit Mr. Grey to
receive a parcel from Reuters in Hong Kong after refusing to do
so before Christmas. (The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has
refused to accept a Christmas parcel from our Mission in
Peking.) The telegram to Mrs. Grey reports that the Chinese
have given him the medical examination requested by Mr. Cradock
in his interview with News Department on 9 December and he has
been pronounced reasonably fit. The telegram to Mr. Chipp,
which has not been published, contains an interesting passage
in which Mr. Grey appears to suggest that we should make
concessions in Hong Kong to secure his release. This follows
closely Mr. Grey's line of argument in his conversation with
Mr. Cradock on 26 November, when he expressed resentment
at the fact that we and Reuters had done so little to help him.
It is unlikely that the Chinese dictated this passage but we
should be prepared in future for them to exploit his sense of
grievance to bring pressure to bear on us to make concessions.
Chinese Intentions
8.
Although the Chinese may be prepared to relax slightly
Mr. Grey's conditions of detention, the harsh tone of the
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