CONFIDENTIAL
COVERING SECRET
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in Rippsen
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I agree
Mr Corbei
مسلمان
PS/Lord Goronwy-Roberts
INDE
27/2
43
1,11
MI
INDEPENDENT COMMISSIONER AGAINST CORRUPTION: POSSIBLE VISIT TO LONDON
1.
At Lord Goronwy-Roberts' request I wrote to the Governor of Hong Kong suggesting that Mr Cater should make a short visit to London at the end of February. The Governor has now replied explaining why, in his view, this timing is not suitable.
2. Mr Cater's deputy is going away at the end of February and a visit before then would probably spark off rumours both here and in Hong Kong about the future of ICAC, particularly since it is in this period that the first elections to the Junior Police Officers' Association are to take place. In addition, the Governor argues that a visit could well revive interest in the problems of the Hong Kong police, which, for the moment at least, have died down.
3. The Governor suggests instead that Lord Goronwy-Roberts might meet Mr Cater when transitting Hong Kong on 19 March. I understand, however, that Lord Goronwy-Roberts would prefer not to alter his plans in order to spend a night in Hong Kong, thus any meeting between the Minister and Mr Cater would have to be held at Kai Tak Airport. I do not believe that such a venue would be at all satisfactory. It would be heavily dependent on the punctuality of the Minister's flight and would leave little opportunity for discussions on other topics with the Governor. A possible meeting in Manila, also suggested by the Governor, is open to similar objections: it would involve the co-ordination of Mr Cater's movements with those of Lord Goronwy-Roberts and the introduction of a totally alien element into the Minister's programme. Furthermore, if the meeting were to become public knowledge, it could result in much more intense and possibly damaging speculation than would a
visit to London.
CONFIDENTI AL COVERING SECRET
36
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