TNAG-1035-FCO40-1285-Visit-by-John-Nott--Secretary-of-State-for-Defence--to-Hong--1981 — Page 3

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HRR 026/21

Mr. Willemsin

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Ref: LMCV:9:81

INDEX

1009

Secretary for Information, Room 1710, New World Tower, 16-18 Queen's Road Central, duyha, Hong Kong.

5th October, 1981

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Tuck 3021:

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David,

02618-7

for

I enclose the GIS assessment of Mr. Nott's visit, together with the clippings. Bearing in mind that - for GIS - the assessment is uncharacteristically six flamboyant, the visit produced no real surprises. The up-shot of most interest to us was the significant editorial comment in the Chinese press critical of the additional Gurkha battalion. We shall be endeavouring to counter this in a limited briefing to be given by the Secretary for Security early next week, reviewing

'Operation Champion one year after".

The press conference itself was a broad ranging affair, at which no one topic excited more than a couple of questions. Mr. Nott's somewhat cryptic reference to the appointment of the next Governor provided some facile speculative headlines. theless it was right that he did meet the local press in this fashion.

Never-

We made contact early on with McDonald, but although we offered to brief directly or arrange trips for the U.K. journalists, these were not taken up.

LAST PAPER

Гошо

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HKCK 026 218.

6/21

(A.J. Scott)

David Ford Esq., MVO, OBE,

Commissioner,

Hong Kong Government Office,

6 Grafton Street,

London WIX 3LB,

U.K.

c.c. R.D. Clift Esq.,

Hong Kong Govt. Office