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5.
Generally, Newe Department have been able to deal
with press enquiries by the use of the three points put
forward in paragraph 3 of my submission of 23 July.
However, Mr. Long's letter, which is powerfully argued,
cannot be answered simply in these terms.
G. As a preliminary, there is a policy point to be
decided: should wo in the reply hold out any hope that the
newsworkers may yet be released before their due dates?
In our telegram No. 444 of 4 July to Hong Kong the Governor
was informed that if he were to decide that the time had
come when the premature release of the newsworkers by a
matter of weeks would be regarded by the Chinese as a
gesture of accommodation rather than an act of weakness, we
should not want him to exclude this. However, it is clear
from his telegram No. 588 of 24 July, that the Governor has
no such step in mind. I intend to submit separately about
the Governor's views; but in the meantime our reply to
Mr. Long must, I think, be based on the assumption that there
will be no fresh moves on our side. In answer to a direct
query on the telephone by Mr. Long on 25 July, I confirmed
that nothing new was in the offing in Hong Kong.
7. Mr. Long's indictment is fourfold.
(a)
Our argument that an early release of the Hong Kong
prisoners would greatly reduce the sanction of prison
sertences as a deterrent applies, in his view, with at
lecat equal validity to the release of the Krogers.
In an attempt to cope with this I have thought it best;
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