TNAG-0113-FCO40-149-Detainees-and-prisoners-following-19671968-disturbances-1969 — Page 156

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miscalculate, and must give due weight to the arguments

of the Governor who is better placed that we are to

make a judgment.

(b) By providing a precedent of willingness to disregard

the courts in a flagrant manner and for a political

purpose, it would impair the future credibility of

the sanction of imprisonment.

Admittedly there is

a time element in this since a brief curtailment of

imprisonment might not be very damaging in this respect.

(c) It could encourage the Chinese to adopt similar ransom

tactics in future to the detriment of other British

subjects in China. Mr. Long has argued that if the

Chinese decide in future to take hostages they will

whatever we do in this particular case. There

But the Crey case

do so,

is some force in this argument.

is specially important in that it is the first, as

far as I am aware, in which the Chinese have acknow-

ledged the taking of a hostage;

in other cases

where they have imprisoned foreigners, effectively

as hostages, it has always allegedly been for some

personal misdemeanour.

I remain therefore of the view that the immediate release in

Hong Kong of all eleven newsworkers

particularly when we have

not only been pressed openly by the Chinese to do this, but

have recently made clear to them that this course would be quite

unacceptable to us - would be highly damaging.

5.

I do not underestimate the difficulties of letting matters

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