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were far more severe than they would have been today. For example, a man was caught in 1969 who had escaped arrest in 1967. His crime included possession of weapons and explosives, yet his sentence was 9 months. In 1967 he would almost certainly have got 6-8 years.
10.
In present conditions in Hong Kong I find it difficult to believe that confidence would be greatly affected if a review on the above basis were carried out. The effect might be a certain number of immediate releases and the possibility that the 1974 date (when the bulk of the prisoners will have been released) might be brought forward to, say, 1972. I believe that this could be of substantial benefit to us in our relations with China, would cause minimal disturbance in Hong Kong and be fully justifiable by Ministers to Parliament in this country.
11.
Finally, it must be said that the present moment is about as good a one as could be imagined for a review of this sort. We are always, of course, in the hands of the Chinese as regards timing, but nevertheless at the present there has undoubtedly been something of a thaw in our relations, Hong Kong is quiet and there is at least some evidence that the Chinese wish to keep it so. We must always remember that the Chinese have it in their power to make things much more difficult for us at any time by, for example, sentencing
Mr. Johnson and Mr. Crouch, which they are quite capable of doing, as a means of putting pressure on to us. This would make it all the more difficult to proceed as I have suggested above.
Kun hälfä
K. M. Wilford)
tK.
22 September, 1970
I support my. Wilford's suggestions
Ps Tomlicon
CONFIDENTIAL
23/1x
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