TNAG-0375-FCO40-421-Discussions-with-Sir-Murray-MacLehose--Governor-of-Hong-Kong-1973 — Page 34

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6. Sir Murray MacLehose said that the preliminary

decision would clearly be a difficult one because it

would be taken in an atmosphere that would be different

to that when a Petition to The Queen was made. If

Ministers subsequently decided to reverse this decision

after the Governor had announced it, then it might well

be better to send out a new Governor, not involved in

the original decision. He was not talking of resig-

nation, of which he disapproved, but of good government.

If it was the considered view of Ministers that the

existence of the death penalty in Hong Kong was not

compatible with Parliamentary opinion in the UK, then

the law must be changed by HMG at the preliminary stage,

though there would be a major row with Hong Kong.

7. A general discussion followed in which it was

generally accepted that a consistent policy over the

very importanl death penalty was essential and that political

considerations should be excluded as far as possible;

but that HMG could not give any firm guarantee for the

future.

8. Sir Alec Douglas-Home summed up by saying that if

he decided to uphold the Governor's decision, he would

? do so consistently. If we were beaten, that was too

bed. Once Ministers had defended an execution in

Parliament it was logical that they should stick to

this policy for the future. Indeed it would be easier

for them to do so. Though he could give no firm

undertakings on this last point, he thought it likely

that this was what would happen in practice.

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