Mr. Moreton
SECRET
Mr Carter (217
Flag
6204
204
PROBLEM
MR. ANTHONY GREY OF REUTERS
My submission of 28 February envisaged a review of
the problem of Mr. Grey in the latter part of this month.
In the meantime we have made no progress towards his
release.
An offer to the Chinese through covert channels
in Hong Kong to release to China for the remainder of their
sentences the eleven convicted news workers whom the Chinese
have linked with Mr. Grey, has not been taken up. We must
assume therefore that the Chinese intend to keep Mr. Grey
until the news workers have been released in Hong Kong.
Barring unforseen circumstances, all eleven should now be
out of prison by mid-September. The alternatives at
present before us are:
(a)
(b)
to ask the Governor of Hong Kong to arrange the
immediate release in Hong Kong of the eleven news
workers; or
to let matters take their course in Hong Kong with
the reasonably confident expectation that Mr. Grey
will be let out shortly after the release of the
news workers in September, but almost certainly
not before.
RECOMMENDATION
2.
I recommend alternative (b). Hong Kong Department
concur.
HILK 1/12
SECRET
/BACKGROUND
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