TNAG-0851-FCO40-1061-Future-of-Hong-Kong-New-Territories-leases-1979 — Page 123

Mr Williary fou o.t.

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ii)

1580: PROHONGAID LONDON ONE:

IS 536/79

COMMISSIONER EXDIS

248

FOLLOWING IS TEXT OF AN OPEN LETTER TO THE BRITISH PRIME MINISTER+ PUBLISHED IN TODAY'S EDITION OF FEER AND SCMP'S LEADER ON + ITEM MISSING FROM THE PM'S AGENDA.+ PLEASE PASS COPY TO FCO.

HONGKONG,TRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 1979

THE RT. HON, MRS MARGARET THATCHER, MP PRIME MINISTER,

10 DOWNING. STREET,

LONDON, SW1.

DEAR PRIME MINISTER,

Акк

TOMO A BORA NO. 5T 3 0 OCT 1979

INC.

ONCE, IN THE SPRING OF 1977, YOU AFFORDED US ALL GREAT

·

AMUSEMENT BY SENDING INVITATION CARDS TO THE BANQUET YOU HOSTED IN PEKING WHICH READ THAT MRS MARGARET THATCHER WOULD BE +AT HOME + IN PEKING'S GREAT HALL OF THE PEOPLE. VERY SHORTLY, YOU WILL AGAIN BE PLAYING HOST TO HUA GUOFENG, CHAIRMAN AND PREMIER OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA. IT IS PROBABLE THAT, GIVEN YOUR VIEWS ON THE DANGER THE SOVIET UNION PRESENTS TO WORLD PEACE, YOUR GUESTS WILL FEEL MORE AT HOME AT 10 DOWNING STREET THAN YOU FELT IN PEKING. MORE==

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1555:: PROHONGAID LONDON TWO:

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THE AGENDA FOR THE MATTERS YOU WILL DISCUSS WITH YOUR DISTINGUISHED VISITOR AND THE BRIEFINGS YOU WILL RECEIVE, PARTICULARLY FROM THE FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (FCO), REMAIN SECRET, BUT WELL-INFORMED SOURCES IN BOTH HONGKONG AND LONDON

·SUGGEST THAT YOUR CONVERSATIONS WILL LARGELY CONSIST OF AN EXCHANGE OF VIEWS ON GLOBAL ISSUES. THE PROBLEMS OF HONGKONG, IF INDEED THEY ARE DISCUSSED, WILL BE CONFINED TO ATTEMPTS 3Y YOURSELF TO PERSUADE THE LEADER OF CHINA TO TAKE STEPS TO MINIMISE THE FLOW OF ILLEGAL REFUGEES FROM CHINA INTO HONGKONG WHICH HAVE BEEN RISING SHARPLY AGAIN IN RECENT WEEKS.

30.10

Wess

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