TNAG-0287-FCO40-323-Briefs-for-visits-in-UK-of-Governor-designate-of-Hong-Kong---1971 — Page 97

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MY

Sin L. Manson

PETMED IN

CONFIDENTIAL

REGISTRY N.51

Mr. Boyle

|HKK |||

་

These particular complaints

do not surprise me. No one

liker being

London when

་་

over rated fro

me feel, one knows

best a., "the la. tspot"

'Prisoner's EEC.

On

I am cestini aur decisio

Governor of Hong Konglezi was correct for HK..',

K.. U.K. I squ.pathise with the Gouesum

You should see the attached record by Mr. Bottomley offumat, talks he had with Sir David Trench during his recent visit to on Kaiłak Hong Kong.

I alw agree with lave 5 of Sir L. A mine's côte,

2.

M

The maintenance of confidence in Hong Kong is our constant preoccupation here. There is hardly a submission from Hong Kong Department which does not stress it and hardly any letter which issues from that Department to other Ministries in Whitehall which does not equally stress it. The criticism recorded in para. 5

of Mr. Bottomley's note is really unfair.

3. But para. 3 of Mr. Bottomley's note really makes one despair of ever getting into Sir David Trench's head that our so-called pressure over the confrontation prisoners and our insistence "for wider reasons" on economic measures regarded by Hong Kong as "detrimental" (this I suppose refers to the recent division of opinion with him over the handling of the Hong Kong issue in the E.E.C. negotiations) were both primarily determined by what we, with our wider access to information on the international scene, regarded as being in Hong Kong's own

best interests.

any

4. I have personally more sympathy with the complaint that we don't let Hong Kong use its bargaining powers over Kai Tak in its own interests. This, considering that the Hong Kong taxpayer has paid for the airport, has always caused me personal unease as an example of "Colonial exploitation" more overt than I have known in 30 years experience of Colonial problems, but my views have (no doubt rightly) been regarded as over-emotional by my colleagues in the Office and, unlike Sir D. Trench, I have accepted being over-

ruled!

*

5. But what I find most disturbing in Mr. Bottomley's report is

the clear evidence of Sir David Trench's inclination when over-

ruled to continue to harbour "ancient grudges". If he does think

confidence that our decisions run the risk of eroding evidence to the extent of creating a security situation,it is his responsibility as Governor to accept the decision as a fait accompli, to recognise /that...

CONFIDENTIAL