TNAG-0602-FCO40-750-Capital-punishment-in-Dependent-Territories-1977 — Page 52

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HKC 38071

RECEIVED *** "KO-STRY NO. 51 - 9 DEC 1977

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CAPITAL PUNISHMENT IN THE DEPENDENT TERRITORIES: BERMUDA

1. In his message to the Secretary of State, transmitted by telephone by the Governor last night, the Premier of Bermuda suggests that the Secretary of State's statement in the House of Commons yesterday exposes the Governor to an additional security risk, by implying that he alone was responsible for deciding that the executions last week should go ahead. The Premier would like

the Secretary of State to issue a further statement clarifying the position, based on the form of words he used in replying to the petition to Her Majesty The Queen on 15 November.

Flag D 2. Mr Gibbons is basing himself on an initial Reuter's story

which indeed said that the Secretary of State "had had to accept

the Governor's advice". But this was not an accurate summary of the statement which said explicitly that the Secretary of State had based his advice to The Queen on his own consideration of the matters raised in the petition. Nowhere in the statement did the Secretary of State say that he "had had to accept the Governor's advice". A later Reuter's story gave a much fuller version of

the statement.

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3. I have been unable to discover what Mr Gibbons is referring to in saying that Mr Rowlands had hinted to him that the Governor's advice would be qualified in any way. There is no reference to any such exchange in the record of Mr Rowlands' meeting with Mr Gibbons, and I understand that Mr Rowlands himself has no recollection of having made any such hint.

4.

I recommend that the Secretary of State should reply to

Mr Gibbons, through the Governor, on the lines of the attached draft.

WIAD and the Legal Adviser concur.

5.

See (294)

W.E. Quantill

W E Quantrill

6 December 1977

Hong Kong & General Department

cc: Mr Cortazzi; PS/Mr Rowlands; PS/Lord Goronwy-Roberts; PS/PUS

Mr Stephen;

WIAD; Legal Advisers;

News Department. Stratton