HKK 026/3
Dr D C Wilson
Political Adviser
Government Secretariat HONG KONG
CONFIDENTIAL
HKK.026/3
RAJEVLOR-G- Te
19 MAR 1979
RK OF
PA
46 Margh 1979
INDEX
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143
¡ Margh
GOVERNOR'S VISIT TO PEKING
1.
Thank you for your letter of 6 March. I am sorry that the news about the Governor's visit should have come out in such a haphazard way. We tried very hard to keep to the agreed arrange- ments but it seems to have been a case of Reuters and AFF putting two and two together and coming up with the answer.
Both
2.
As far as I can establish, what happened was this. Reuters and AFP picked up the story in Hong Kong on 4 March. News Department were asked very persistently by Reuters on 5 March whether it was true. In response they said no more than that a statement would be made the following day in Hong Kong and that the report could neither be confirmed nor denied in the meantime.
3. Reuters obviously interpreted this as confirmation and pro- ceeded to release the story. As far as I know, no-one else spoke to Reuters, and AFP did not contact News Department at all. The speculation that "future relations between China and Hong Kong" would be discussed during the visit was not based on anything said by the FCO.
4. In the light of what happened it would clearly have been better if we had stuck to "no comment", But the leak in the Hong Kong press, and the fact that the announcement was to be made in Hong Kong so soon afterwards made that a very difficult line to sell to News Department.
CONFIDENTIAL
RJT McLaren
Hong Kong and General Department
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