TNAG-0548-FCO40-643-Ministerial-briefs-for-meetings-with-Hong-Kong-press-1976 — Page 23

ONFIDENTIAL

4.

The South China Morning Post has not been particularly helpful to us in the past but my own impression is that, given the need to be lively, it has not been particularly unhelpful either. Over the defence agreement negotiations, for instance, the newspaper, and Mr Sinclair personally, gave a courteous hearing to Mr Rodgers's press officer and fairly represented HMG's views. I am thus inclined to think that it might be helpful to encourage the Morning Post: and to discourage Mr Sinclair again might store up problems for us in the future. I see no advantage to us in an on-the-record interview appearing in this newspaper at this time; but we ought to take advantage of this opportunity to brief the News Editor on HMG' S attitude to problems which are of interest to the Hong Kong population.

5.

I consequently recommend that Lord Goronwy-Roberts should

offer an unattributable interview to Mr Sinclair on this occasion. The Governor will be fulfilling engagements in the Office in the week beginning 1 December and we can have his advice on the proposed answers to the likely questions if the interview were to be arranged

for the week 8-12 December.

6.

I attach a draft telegram to Hong Kong accordingly. News Department concur.

14 November 1975

cc

News Dept.

Mutaffe

PL O'Keeffe

Hong Kong & Indian Ocean Dept.

Premace

14x1

Very well,

CONFIDENTIAL

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