1
BY DAG
布政司署
香港下亞原畢道
**** Our Ref :
CR 1/2761/68
* Your Ref :
AR Paul Esq
FED FCO
CONFIDENTIAL
22
GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT
LOWER ALBERT ROAD
HONG KONG
4 June 1981
WK azo
RECEIVED
Hu-
7 NO. 51
12 JUN1981
IN
NO
TAY
en Taken
MADAME SOONG CHINGLING
You will wish to know for the record that the Governor signed the book for Madame Soong's death which vas opened by NCNA on 2 June. In normal protocol terms the Governor does not sign personally a condolence book for the deaths of heads of state (and it was his ADC and the Director of Protocol who signed the book also open on the same day for President Zia of Bangladesh). In Madame Soong's case the argument for signing was not based on her nearly posthumous elevation to the position of Honorary Chairman of the PRC, but on her unique significance as the widow of the founder of the modern Chinese state (who was, of course, also himself a most distinguished alumni of Hong Kong University). We half-masted flags both on the day after her death was announced and on 3 June, the day of the funeral ceremony in Peking.
2.
The NCNA told us that they originally expected between 5 and 10,000 people to sign. In the event the total was slightly over 4,500 (compared with about 50,000 for Mao and 20,000 for Zhou). There was one slight incident during the day when 2 members of the Wanderers Association appeared shouting slogans at those queuing to enter the NCNA building. There was a slight scuffle with some bystanders and the two were eventually taken into Police custody.
3.
I subsequently heard of a rather, entertaining
A friend exchange which took place in the late afternoon. of mine, Deanna Gao, went with her mother and sister to sign the book. When asked to leave a visiting card, which she did not have, she showed NCNA officials photographs of her with Madame Soong taken on a visit to Peking last. year. She also added that she had briefly visited her on 20 May during a
As visit to Peking from which she had just returned. Michael Richardson will know, since he visited the Gao family regularly in Shanghai, Deanna left for France in 1973 (where she now lives with her French husband) and her parents live here. Deanna and her mother talked at some length to local
/reporters
CONFIDENTIAL
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