TNAG-0113-FCO40-149-Detainees-and-prisoners-following-19671968-disturbances-1969 — Page 16

release of the newsworkers,

But with the

wellbeing of some 31⁄2 million people at stake we

can afford to take no risks in this direction.

1

You say that you cannot accept that there

is any parallel between the deal made over the

Krogers and the proposed deal with the Chinese

to release the Hong Kong prisonera outside the

Colony. I would agree that the parallel is not

exact; and I would also accept the precise

point of difference which you underline. In

accept each case, however, we were prepared to ./the

premature release from prison of the persons in

whom the other side was interested. It was my

judgment that the national intérest required ;

that in the case of the Chinese prisoners we

must stipulate that they should not on release.

remain in British territory a stipulation !

which was not necessary in the case of the

Krogers.

But within this prescribed limit we

have, in my view, shown a good deal of flexi**

- bility.

Since August 1967, when Mr. George

• Brown indicated to the Chinese his readiness to

try to arrange the release to China of the

newsworkers in return for an undertaking that

Grey and other British subjects would be free

to return to the United Kingdom, we have put

variants on this formula to the Chinese on a

number of occasions. We tried to ease the path

for the Chinese by refraining from insisting;

that the newsworkers should go back to China and

by offering them instead the possibility of

release to Macao and the return to Hong Kong