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5. The meeting with the family will be significant in that
it will be the first occasion on which it has been possible
to tell them that all eleven newsworkers will be out by the
autumn, and in consequence to express a reasonable hope that
Mr. Grey will be out by then. Hitherto we have only boen
able to express a vague hope that the matter would be resolved.
However, it would be unfortunate if the family were to go
away with any evidence for believing that the Board of Review's
decisions were connected with the case of Mr. Grey. It would
be particularly embarrassing for the Governor of Hong Kong
if anything were cald which could reinforce press speculation
that the law had been bent for political reasons. The family
have been less than discreet in the past in their statements
to the press, and care should be taken about this aspect.
6. We cannot expect the Grey family to be satisfied with
the fact that they must wait until October before all eleven
are released and, particularly in view of the campaign in "The
People", they are bound to ask that the release dates should
be brought forward. This is a problem that has been very
much under consideration in the Office recently. You may care
to look at the papers beginning with my submission of 6 Kay.
Lord Shepherd is to discuss it with the Governor in the first
week in June. And the Secretary of State has ruled that,
unless the Governor can convince Lord Shepherd that it would
be wrong, he would like the Governor to try to devise some
procedure to ensure the release of all the eleven journalisto
during June or at the latest July. Obviously we cannot give
the Grey family any indication of this. We must for the present
continue to maintain our present position and resist the demand
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