TNAG-0393-FCO40-439-Diplomatic-reports-from-Sir-Murray-MacLehose--Governor-of-Ho-1974 — Page 57

Registry No.

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION

Top Secret.

Secret.

Confidential.

CONFIDENTIAL

DRAFT

DESPATCH

To:-

His Excellency

Sir Murray MacLehose

KCMG MBE

Governor

HONG KONG

Type 1 +

FROM

Secretary of State

Telephone No. Ext.

Department

Restricted. Unclassified.

PRIVACY MARKING

(16940) Dd.897300 400m 9/72 G.W.B.Ltd. Gp.863

NOTHING TO BE WRITTEN IN THIS MARGIN

In Confidence

[Glas A]

Sir

1.

2.

I have studied with interest your despatch of

1 January 1973 containing your Report on Hong Kong

for the previous year. I agree with the general

lines of policy set out in that despatch, and I

commend the vigour with which you personally and

your staff are, despite the difficulties, carrying

out your plans for the development of Hong Kong.

I also agree that the conjunction of continued

prosperity in Hong Kong with the present period of

better relations with the Chinese Government, makes

this the right moment to push forward the development

of Hong Kong as a place where the mainly Chinese

population wish to live and work. You suggest that

the improvement of Anglo/Chinese relations is

cyclical. It may be linear. But in either event

I agree with your judgement that the Hong Kong

Government must be a Government in a hurry if the

necessary development is to be completed within a

reasonable time scale.

3. You write of the problems of trade and finance

and of the proportion of relations with Britain which

is adversely affected by these and other difficulties.

I accept that these problems, though relatively few,

are important, and can lead to a sense of insecurity.

/There is,

CONFIDENTIAL