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70. The British effort in Germany also concentrates greatly upon television outlets. Joint productions with N.R.D. Hamburg have met with considerable success particularly in the field of Anti-Pollusion where six programmes have been taken by all nine regional stations in Germany. Production costs are shared and sales receipts are shared. Hong Kong information officers in Europe should look at similar oppor- tunities on our behalf.
France
71. For far too long Hong Kong has ignored France as an area for an information initiative. We have taken the line that any effort in that country would be unproductive and possibly counter-productive. The feeling that if we were to lie low then perhaps the situation would change has not produced results. France has maintained unilateral restraints on a wide range of Hong Kong products backed by a deep- seated emotional feeling that "if they give us an inch we will take a yard". In their eyes Hong Kong is an embryonic monster which if it is given its head will grow like Japan and threaten the economy of their nation. They attempt to justify this view by arguing that they started their industrial revolution later than Britain and Germany and are therefore justified in approaching any change more cautiously than others! But even the most entrenched French patriots who support this illogical viewpoint believe that change is now coming.
72. It is, therefore, gratifying that the T.D.C. has taken a major initiative by participating in this year's Foire de Paris. It is pertinent to record the remarks of the Executive Director of the Trade Development Council, Mr. Len Dunning, which he is reported by Agence-France Presse to have made shortly before he left Paris at the close of the Fair. He said, "It is beginning to look better from here. There is a good chance for more liberal trading. The ono field, however, in which we can make no progress is that of the textile industry which is irrevocably tied up by Common Market Textile Agreements on a global 'burden-sharing' basis...." He also outlined plans for a fact-finding visit to Hong Kong of a group of French industrialists in November of this year.
73. In my assessment, this initiative is most encouraging and should be maintained. It should also be supported with greater attention being paid to the needs of selected journals which are read by French policy-makers. French journalists have a high regard for their own position in society. They have a high sense of public duty and expect to be treated as intellectual leaders within their society. Because of this unusual sense of duty they are more susceptible to official guidance than most other journalists in Europe but they expect any official background, guidance or articles to be in-depth and to look objectively at all sides of the problem. The information services of the British Embassy in Paris put considerable effort and finance into the weekly production of a general newsletter "Les Echos de Grande- Bretagne", in addition to their separate commercial information output. Five major articles from this news-letter were published in the leading newspaper "Le Monde" last year which tends to support the view that the French have more respect for official source material
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