(17865) Dd.145178 400m 5/73 G.W.B.Ltd. Gp.863
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about
Prime Minister has expressed doubts on the nood ta
held to our existing line. Tom Brimelow and Michael
Wilford argued the case to him as forcefully as they
could. But he remained unconvinced. They have now
put to him a written aummary of the arguments on both
sides and of our conclusions. Our present assessment
is that he will accept this, but that his concurrence
is likely to be less than full-hearted.
For your
own information also, the Secretary of State is not
although he has himself wholly certain,
e allowed himself to be
convinced by his officials and hee minuted that the
main obstacle is your own views.
By contrast
Mr Royle remains absolutely firm, but of course carries
less weight.
L The probable outcome of all this seems likely to
be that the Prime Minister will go to China with a
brief to hold firm on the
Representative, and will do
so; but that he will be massaged by the sweet
reasonableness of the Chinese leaders and may come to
Hong Kong in a slightly resentful frame of mind. If
when he is there he is confronted by the more obtuse
(generally at
members of your Executive Council girding Britain,
Bri
this might ripen into irritation, that could impair the
high level support which we must have if we are to
keep UK-Hong Kong relations on an even keel.
5. There is also another strain of thought which is
surfacing in Whitehall, particularly as a result of
Sir P Reilly's recent visit to Hong Kong.
He was
dismayed by the depth of anti-British feeling which
he thought he detected in both officials and unofficials
and by the lack of a drive to argue the British case.
/He saw the
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