CYPHER/CAT A
ROUTE HONG KONG
SYPHAND
P.US.
the il
ཅ་་
منت
TO FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
TELEGRAM NUMBER 252
25 MARCH 1969
CONFIDENTIAL TELEGRAM 252 OF 25 MARCH.
MY TELEGRAM 233 : GRANADA T.V. FILM.
THE FILM HAS NOW BEEN VIEVED HERE, AND IT IS VIRTUALLY IN ITS
ENTIRETY A CROSSLY BIASED CONDEMNATION OF THE POLICE FOR ALLEGED
CORRUPT ACTIVITIES ON A WIDE SCALE. EVEN SUCH SMALL AMOUNT OF
MATERIAL AS MIGHT OTHERWISE PRTRAY AN UP-TO-DATE FORCE
EQUIPPED TO PRESERVE PEACE AND WITH A PROUD RECORD OF DOING SO IS
VICIOUSLY TWISTED WITH AN ANTI-COLONIAL STAS. THE FACT THAT PUBLIC
ATTITUDES IN THE FILM ARE CHIEFLY EMBODIED IN SUCH PERSONS AS ALAN
ELLIS, (WHO HAS INCIDENTALLY NOT BEEN IN HONG KONG FOR SOME YEARS)
MA MAN FAI AND ELSIE ELLIOTT SPEAKS FOR ITSELF, AND DOES
NOTHING TO ESTABLISH THE BONA FIDES OF THE WORLD IN ACTION.
2. IT IS NOT YET CERTAINLY KNOWN WHETHER WHEN OR HOW THIS
FILM WILL BE SCREENED IN HONG KONG, BUT I AM IN THE MEANWHILE
CONSIDERING HOW BEST TO DEAL WITH ANY EFFECTS IN MAY HAVE ON THE
PUBLIC AND ON POLICE MORALE, YOU WILL, I HOPE, BE CONSIDERING
URGENTLY WHAT MANNER OF PROTEST TO GRANADA OR PERHAPS TO LORD
AYLESTONE CAN MOST EFFECTIVELY AND APPROPRIATELY BE MADE. IT
CEEMS TO ME THAT, APART FROM ANY OTHER ACTION THAT YOU MAY CONTEMPLAI
IN THIS CONNECTION, THE PRIME MINISTER PAY HAVE TO BE PREPARED,
ON THE OCCASION OF THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE ROYAL TITLE FOR THE
POLICE, TO DEPLORE PUBLICLY SO SCURRILOUS AND DISHONEST A
PIECE OF REPORTING, IF REFERENCE IS MADE TO IT IN HOSTILE SUPP-
X23
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