Mr Stuart
RESTRICTED
1.
Please see the Secretary of State's minute on the attached record of a conversation between Mr Amery and Mr James Johnson MP. It is not entirely clear on what issue the Secretary of State is asking for the Governor's view but there are two possibilities:
(a)
(b)
2.
Whether he likes the idea of a "small elected minority in Legislative Council"; or
whether a judicial Commission of Enquiry should be appointed in this country to investigate organised corruption in Hong Kong.
The Governor has always opposed, so far as I am aware, election to any body except the Urban Council and although an elected member of the Urban Council is now also a member of the Legislative Council he is in no sense a representative of the Urban Council. The whole concept of the Legislative Council would change if it included elected members and I imagine that the objection to election has always been in the past that it might suggest that Hong Kong was moving towards self-government. Since this would clearly be an intolerable proposition for the Chinese Government I do not imagine that the Governor would be willing to see any change in the present situation.
3. As regards the idea of a judicial Commission of Enquiry I am quite certain that the Governor will not wish to do anything until the second part of Mr Justice Blair-Kerr's Report has been produced. In any case the idea of a United Kingdom Commission of Enquiry looking into events in Hong Kong would be most unpalatable and might even be the last straw given the formidable list of subjects on which we and Hong Kong are even now in confrontation.
Copy to:
ару
Si D. Watson.
21 August 1973
RESTRICTED
لد
K M Wilford
13
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