TNAG-1009-FCO40-1259-Appointments-of-senior-officials-in-Hong-Kong-and-Hong-Kong--1981 — Page 26

財政司辦公廳

FINANCIAL SECRETARY'S OFFICE.

THE SECRETARIAT,

HONG KONG.

CONFIDENTIAL :

: STAFF IN CONFIDENCE

PERSONAL

R D Clift Esq

Hong Kong & General Department

FCO

29 October, 1981

Mr. William: (promel)

Enter

? Enveloped

Dear Dick,

As

Thank you for your letter of 22 October. you will know, Fell's availability to fill in for six months while we select a permanent Commissioner was purely fortuitous. He is a friend of Sir Philip, and we wrote to him for advice. His reaction was 'why not me' As soon as I heard of this I made the point to Information Services here that there must be no suggestion that he was being brought in to toughen things up à la London anathema to Hong Kong. McInnes in his several press leaks put out the converse story that he, McInnes, was set on being an interventionist, and had been removed because of pressure on me by the robber barons!

2.

I take your point about being forewarned. This was actually a difficult case in which CS and HE were both involved. We did not know until he took the step whether McInnes would resign, for he was offered two other alternatives. In future I will try and give you as much advance warning as is practicable.

Yours oved, john.

(J H Bremridge)