Mr Cort
Cortazzi
212
CONFIDENTIAL
N Levár 1814
CREECH JONES: LETTER FROM SIR PETER RAMSBOTHAM
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Hkc. 3862
Sir Peter Ramsbotham wrote to you on 27 March about the future
of the Creech-Jones doctrine. This crossed with the PUS' letter
to the Governor of 4 April, which covered the points raised in the main body of Sir Peter's letter, but did not touch on the point
raised in the PS, in which the Governor reverts to his idea that he should be relieved of his discretion to exercise mercy in capital cases. By this I assume he means that the discretion should be delegated, as he has previously proposed, to the local Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy whose decision would thus become binding on the Governor. You have already given the Governor a detailed explanation of why this would not be acceptable to Ministers (your letter of 3 March). I cannot see how the latest Cabinet decision can be said to have changed things. I recommend, therefore, that you should reply to
Sir Peter Ramsbotham on the lines of the attached draft.
17 April 1978
cc: Mr Duff
W.E. Quantill
W E Quantrill
Hong Kong & General Dept
нка 3861
RECEIVED IN
CYRO. 51
18 APR 1978
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REGISTRY Action Taker
No i Qa
Letter to issue as amended.
See 215
He
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CONFIDENTIAL
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