TNAG-0333-FCO40-369-Visits-of-Secretary-of-State-for-Foreign-and-Commonwealth-Af-1972 — Page 102

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TO PRIORITY PEKING TEL NO 786 OF 6 OCTOBER INFO HONG KONG

R.

YOUR TELEGRAM NO 998 OF 6 OCTOBER: SECRETARY OF STATE'S VISIT:

PRESS ARRANGEMENTS.

FOLLOWING FROM NEWS DEPARTMENT.

1. THANK YOU FOR TAKING ACTION WITH MADAME CHANG YING.

2. WE HAVE NOW HEARD THAT THREE OF THE CANDIDATES FOR THE VISIT WILL NOT NOW BE ABLE TO GO AND HAVE SO INFORMED THE CHINESE- EMBASSY IN LONDON. THEY ARE MSSRS ROY, KEMP AND HOLDEN, A FURTHER NAME HAS NOW BEEN ADDED TO THE LIST. IT IS THAT OF CHARLES SMITH, HONG KONG CORRESPONDENT OF UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL (NOT REPEAT NOT THE FINANCIAL TIMES NOMINEE).

GRATEFUL IF YOU WOULD COMMUNICATE THESE CHANGES TO THE FOREIGN MINISTRY IN PEKING.

3. YOUR PARAGRAPH 3: WE ASSUME THAT MADAME CHANG MEANT THE THREE BRITISH NATIONALS WHO PROPOSED TO COVER THE VISIT ON BEHALF OF ASSOCIATED PRESS AND TIME-LIFE (NOW ONLY TWO, BECAUSE OF KEP'S DELETION). THERE ARE, IN FACT, PRECEDENTS FOR ALLOWING IN JOURNAL- ISTS WORKING FOR ORGANISATIONS OF A NATIONALITY OTHER THAN THAT OF THE VISITING FOREIGN MINISTER. SMITH, REFERRED TO IN PARAGRAPH 2 ABOVE, COVERED THE TANAKA VISIT ON BEHALF OF UP1, WHICH IS AN AMERICAN-BASED AGENCY. (GAVSHON AND AIKMAN ARE BRITISH SUBJECTS, SMITH IS AMERICAN,)

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4. YOUR PARAGRAPH 4: WE HAVE HAD FURTHER CONTACT WITH THE CORRES- PONDENTS' ASSOCIATION ABOUT EARLY ARRIVAL FOR AT LEAST SOME OF THEIR NUMBER. THE PRESENT SITUATION IS THAT, FOR REASONS OF ECONOMY (1.E. A GROUP BOOKING WHICH WOULD MORE THAN HALVE THE FARE) ALL THE LONDON-BASED MEMBERS OF THE GROUP WOULD WISH TO TRAVEL ON A BLOCK BOOKING OR BOOKINGS. WE HAVE INFORMED THE CHINESE EMBASSY IN LONDON OF THIS, POINTING OUT THAT, IF ACCEPTABLE TO THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES, MEMBERS OF THE JOURNALISTS' GROUP FROM LONDON WOULD LIKE TO ARRIVE IN PEKING ON EITHER 24 OF 25 OCTOBER. WE HAVE ASKED FOR A REPLY IF POSSIBLE BY 9 OCTOBER, WHEN LEAHY WILL BE ACCOMPANYING SECRETARY- OF STATE TO LUNCH AT THE EMBASSY, IN FURTHER DISCUSSION WITH MADAME CHANG, THEREFORE, WE SHOULD BE GRATEFUL IF YOU WOULD POINT OUT THAT

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