Sir Duncan Watson
CONFIDENTIAL
LEAKAGES IN HONG KONG ABOUT SENIOR APPOINTMENTS
1. This is unfortunate and reinforces the view that unless the circumstances are quite exceptional we should normally defer any local soundings with candidates recommended for Governorship until a much later stage ie when informal clearances have already been obtained from Number 10 and the Palace and we are in a position to go ahead with an actual offer. Having said this I do not think that in the particular case of Mr Luddington where the gap at first sight between his present emoluments and those of his proposed Governorship was so great,we had any choice but to initiate preliminary soundings to ensure that he would in fact be interested in the appointment.
2. Early announcements are obviously desirable but the plain fact is that given the numerous stages unavoidably involved in an appointment to a Governorship we can not with the best will in the world expect to reach the stage for a public announcement in much less than three to four weeks from the formal submission going forward to the Secretary of State. The same time scale applies broadly to the post of Colonial Secretary and that of Chief Justice, given these latter two appointments are now so closely interlinked.
3. The attached draft reply has been agreed with Mr Stuart and in respect of the reference to the appointment of Chief Justice in paragraph 2 with Mr Fifoot. I am not certain whether you would also wish to deal in the reply with the position on the return to Hong Kong of Mr Hobley.
JOB Shur
J D B Shaw
Gibraltar and General Department
CONFIDENTIAL
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