G. F. 323
CONFIDENTIAL #B 機密
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magazines as major vehicles of publicity are passing and creative staff is being diverted to television work although just how they are to make the fullest possible use of television is still a subject of study. This trend was generally reflected in my subse- quent discussions with the information sections of the British Embassies I visited.
47.
From the information point of view Hong Kong's position vis-a-vis the European Economic Community is particularly unenviable. We have no membership rights or status of any sort within the Community. We therefore have no representation through UKREP, the British ambassador appointed to the Commission. If our voice is to be publicly heard making points clarifying Hong Kong's separate commercial problems the message has to be conveyed in a manner which in no way erroneously suggests that we have an independent political status. This inhibits the Hong Kong Government's voice overseas and, historically it was one of the reasons which originally prompted the setting up of an independent Trade Development Council able to work with more speed and freedom of action in the sphere of commercial publicity. This was a wise decision which is working well but because of the Council's proper concern that it is not their task to become involved in matters of government policy a gap continues to exist in our overseas output of commercial information. A government information element providing commercial and economic policy background geared to regional needs should be introduced. This information should be handled through existing services rather than setting up new ones to add to the pro- liferation of services which already exist. Wherever possible TDC offices should continue to be Hong Kong's principal centres for publicity in Europe since the effectiveness of these independent outlets is readily apparent. Where these representative offices do not exist and a need for an intensification of our public relations effort is wanted, government officers should be attached to British Embassies but their freedom of action will not be as great as when they work under the umbrella of the T.D.C. Either of these arrangements is preferable to the full-time employment of public relations con- sultants who can rarely devote their full time and attention to a single client. However, consultant firms can be employed usefully for specific tasks (such as arranging the publicity for the opening of a new office) and generally these ad-hoc arrangements are more productive than long-term contracts.
48. The problem of language in dealing with the European media cannot be overstated. Information material for general release must be issued in the language or languages of the country and information officers must be able to converse with correspondents in their own language. Nowhere was this problem more apparent than in Belgium. Two broad- casting and television companies, each under a separate Director-General, operate in Belgium, one broadcasting in French and the other in Flemish. About 2 million newspapers circulate daily, approximately half in French and half in Flemish. In practice the one country is really two with the Flemish people closer to Holland and the French people to France and it is vital that any public relations dealings should be with both sides in both languages.
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