TNAG-0409-FCO40-455-Allegations-of-bribery-and-corruption-in-the-Hong-Kong-polic-1973 — Page 33

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19 OCT1973

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CONFIDENTIAL

thxr14/17

TO PRIORITY GOVERNOR HONG KONG TELEGRAM NUMBER 1342 OF 18 OCTOBER, 1973 YOUR TELEGRAM NUMBER 1190: ANTI-CORRUPTION UNIT,

PERSONAL FOR GOVERNOR FROM STUART.

·

1. I HAVE DISCUSSED THE SITUATION AT LENGTH WITH SIR R MARK. HE SAID THAT, DESPITE HIS OWN SUGGESTION OF WILLIAMSON, HE WAS NOT WHOLLY SURPRISED THAT HE HAD BEEN FOUND STILL TO HAVE A CHIP ON HIS SHOULDER ABOUT THE REASONS FOR HIS DEPARTURE FROM THE FORCE IN THE UK, AND THAT HIS GENERAL APPROACH MIGHT MAKE HIM. UNSUIT- ABLE FOR HONG KONG, SIR R MARK, HOWEVER, EXPRESSED SOME ANXIETY ABOUT THE NEXT STEP. HE HAD NOTED WITH AGREEMENT THAT YOU HAD SAID THE ANTI-CORRUPTION UNIT WOULD BE COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT, BUT IN THE INTERESTS OF HIS OWN FORCE HE WOULD NOT WANT TO SEND ANY OF HIS BEST PEOPLE TO HONG KONG UNLESS HE WAS SURE THAT CONDITIONS AND ORGANISATION FOR ACTION EXISTED. HE IMPLIED THAT HE HAD IN MIND THE RISK OF OVER-INTERFERENCE BY THE REGULAR POLICE AND LACK OF STATUS WITHIN THE HONG KONG MACHINE, I THINK IT WAS IN HIS MIND THAT WILLIAMSON MIGHT HAVE BEEN REJECTED BECAUSE HE APPEARED TOO CRITICAL OF THE POLICE ESTABLISHMENT. 2. I SAID IT WAS QUITE CLEAR FROM YOUR STATEMENT THAT THE UNIT WOULD BE FULLY INDEPENDENT, WHILE THE APPOINTMENT OF CATER AND FRENDERGAST WOULD ENSURE THAT IT HAD SUFFICIENT STATUS AND POWER

TO DO THE JOB.

3. SIR R MARK THEN SAID HE THOUGHT THE NEXT APPROACH FROM US SHOULD BE THROUGH THE HOME OFFICE, WHO WERE SENSITIVE ABOUT BEING BYPASSED. HIS OWN PROPOSAL WAS THAT WE SHOULD APPROACH THE HOME OFFICE IN AS INFORMAL A WAY AS POSSIBLE TO EXPLAIN YOUR SITUATION AND YOUR NEED FOR HIGH-GRADE STAFF AND TO SAY THAT YOU WOULD WELCOME PROFESSIONAL ADVICE. HE HIMSELF WOULD THEN, IF YOU WISHED, DE PREPARED TO SUGGEST TO THE HOME OFFICE THE RELEASE FOR A SHORT VISIT OF MR ANNING, HIS TOP MAN ON ANTI-CORRUPTION, WHO COULD COME TO HONG KONG, SIZE UP THE MEASURE OF YOUR PROBLEM, AND ON HIS RETURN MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE SECONDMENT OR APPOINTMENT OF

SUITABLE STAFF.

4. 1 SAID I THOUGHT YOU WOULD WELCOME SUCH A VISIT AND, SUBJECT TO YOUR AGREEMENT, WE WOULD APPROACH THE HOME OFFICE AS STR ROBERT

SUGGESTED.

/5. DO YOU ALLKIR