TNAG-0400-FCO40-446-Review-of-the-death-sentence-in-Hong-Kong-1973 — Page 20

PRIORITY

CYPHER/CAT A

GRPS 340

F F C 0 151200Z

DEDIP

CONFIDENTIAL

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CONFIDENTIAL

TO PRIORITY GOVERNOR HONG KONG TELEGRAM NUMBER 479 OF 15 MAY、,1973.

YOUR TELEGRAM NO. 522 AND FCO TELEGRAM NO. 466.

PERSONAL FOR GOVERNOR FROM PUS.

70

C

1. I AM SORRY THAT I WAS AWAY WHEN YOUR TELEGRAM ARRIVED BUT AS

YOU WILL HAVE SEEN THE BULK OF IT WAS SHOWN WITHOUT DELAY TO THE

SECRETARY OF STATE. WE ARE INDEED WELL AWARE OF THE INDIGNATION (AND POSSIBLE DAMAGE TO UK INTERESTS) WHICH A REPRIEVE WILL CAUSE IN HONG KONG, BUT THIS HAS TO BE BALANCED AGAINST THE OUTRAGE WHICH MINISTERS BELIEVE AN EXECUTION WOULD HAVE CAUSED IN PARLIAMENT. YOU WILL HAVE SEEN HOW EVEN IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF ULSTER OPINION WAS VERY STRONGLY ABOLITIONIST. MINISTERS BELIEVED THAT FAILURE TO HAVE RECOMMENDED A REPRIEVE COULD HAVE RESULTED IN A CENSURE VOTE AGAINST THE SECRETARY OF STATE AND THAT THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN CARRIED, ENTAILING THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S RESIGNATION. THIS WOULD INDEED HAVE BEEN A VERY HARD BLOW TO THE GOVERNMENT (AND TO US ALL) AND WAS CLEARLY UNACCEPTABLE. I UNDERSTAND TONY ROYLE HAS WRITTEN

TO YOU PERSONALLY ON THIS.

2. WE ARE IN NO DOUBT, FROM YOUR REPORTS, OF WHAT THE OUTCOME OF

A SOUNDING OF PUBLIC OPINION IN HONG KONG WOULD BE - WHATEVER FORM

THE EXERCISE TAKES. MINISTERS SIMPLY ARE NOT WILLING TO FACE PARLIAMENT ON AN ISSUE OF THIS KIND IN RESPECT OF HONG KONG AND DEFEND AN EXECUTION WHEN THERE IS NO ELECTED LEGISLATURE AND WHERE

IN THE LAST ANALYSIS HMG ARE IN A POSITION TO GIVE ORDERS. THE

ARGUMENT THAT HONG KONG IS A CHINESE CITY AND SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO

MANAGE ITS AFFAIRS CHINESE STYLE CUTS NO ICE AT ALL IN THE PRESENT

CLIMATE.

CONFIDENTIAL

13. NEEDLESS TO SAY