TNAG-0692-FCO40-842-Congolese-diplomatic-correspondence-found-at-Kai-Tak-Airport-1977 — Page 36

布政司署

香港下亞

本署檔號 OUR REF.:

* Your Ref.:

? Twe

畢道

SECRET O

RECEIVED

REGISTRY M

1 APR 19

SCR L/M 32/77K 404!!

DF Milton Esq

Hong Kong Department

F CO

Dear Derek,

C.S. 41A

GOVERNMent secRETARIAT

LOWER ALBERT ROAD

HONG KONG

30 March, 1977

David

Preate circulate (Iduit

hand

tuikk undin dual cyres are necessary) to the degraphical depts. Whs way fraud an

unteer, and to fused. Dr. Milton

31/3.

We telegraphed on 25 March about the bizarre story in the 'Hong Kong Standard' suggesting that there had been a meeting between Dr Kissinger and the Permanent Representative of the People's Republic of the Congo to the United Nations and that Dr Kissinger had been rude about the Jews and Arabs. The 'Standard' tried to keep the story going the following day but I think it has now fizzled out. No other paper has bothered much about it.

2.

There is not much to add to paragraphs 3 and 4 of our telegram No. 315 explaining how the air cargo people came to open the abandoned, unmarked suitcase.

3.

There were 10 envelopes found inside the suitcase. All were sealed, with the possible exception of one. We have no idea at this stage how all the papers came together. The expert who opened the envelopes has commented that he believes the envelopes had been surreptitiously opened once before, basing his assertion on the fact that there appeared to be two types of sealing wax on the seals and because of some irregularity on the official stamp. Your guess is as good as mine as to when or by whom the envelopes were opened and re-

Consoles sealed. We believe it is highly unlikely that it was in Hong

thauseluar

Kong.

The possibility therefore exists that the envelopes were tampered with either in Paris or in Boston.

4.

As we mentioned in our telegram, the only theory we can offer as to why the suitcase ever arrived in Hong Kong is that it may have been destined to be loaded on to President Bongo's private aircraft which arrived in Hong Kong with the President on 11 July 1976. The fact remains, however, that Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminal Limited were unable to find out who the suitcase belonged to or who the original consignor or consignee were.

There has been no request from any quarter

SECRET

/contd...