TNAG-0283-FCO40-319-Exchange-of-officers-between-government-of-Hong-Kong-and-UK--1970 — Page 79

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Sir L. Monson

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I said that I would enquire of Far Eastern Department whether they really believed that it would not be possible to post to China a Chinese speaking member of the Diplomatic Service who had served in Hong Kong. Mr. Murray said that he certainly would not think that we should accept it as a general axiom that such people should not be posted to China. In point of fact, of course, Mr. MacLehose is a former Political Adviser whom the Chinese gave their agrément to, as the Head of Post in Peking. What Mr. Murray had in mind when he had been questioned about this in the past was that it was conceivable that a particular member of the Diplomatic Service during his time in Hong Kong might have been involved in a particular piece of unpleasantness as a result of which the Chinese would make certain that he did not get an entry visa to go to Peking in the future. This is essentially, however, a matter of individual cases and neither he nor I would support the generalisa- tion that those who have served in Hong Kong cannot be re-posted into China.

2. In my discussion with him on this issue I find that in some ways he would go even further than I would in his recommendation about cross postings between Hong Kong and the Diplomatic Service. As he rightly points out, we have now got to the stage when one cannot offer a cadet entering the Hong Kong Service a full career because of the approach of the magic date of 1997. The likelihood is therefore that it will become more and more difficult to find suitable people for various levels up to and including the post of Colonial Secretary and Governor without having recourse to appoint- ments from outside, including from the Diplomatic Service. this would justify an increase in the total establishment of the Diplomatic Service of say a dozen posts at levels from First Secretary upwards is another question, but perhaps it should be looked at in the context of your exchange of minutes with Mr. Larmour.

KM Wilford

K. M. Wilcora)

5 January, 1970.

Whether

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