of
CONFIDENTIAL
Whilst I was there two British political figures occupied a small part of the scene without doing much noticeable good. One was Ted Heath who came hotfoot from the PRC and addressed the Unofficial Members of the Executive and Legislative Councils, repeating more or less as gospel the line taken by the PRC. Since they had heard it before the worthy burgers were not much pleased. But it was Ted who stormed out without partaking of the dinner which he had been invited to partake. This, with various comments, was widely reported. The other British figure was our ex colleague Billy Rees-Davies who, since his father was a former Chief Justice of Hong Kong, was more prominent there than he usually is here. He tried to nobble all and sundry (including me and my daughter) with his own solutions, which did not impress me. They may, however, have weakened the hand of the Governor in the minds of those who listened to him.
Anything which can be done to support the morale of the population would be to the good. Those who can get out are in danger of voting with their feet. But it is difficult to know what to say or do which will restore their confidence. Whether the PRC line is due to ignorance or malice, or, as seems more likely, a combination of the two, the fact remains that militarily the territory is indefensible, that it buys a significant part of its water through a pipe from across the border, and also much of its supply of fresh vegetables and other food. However, the lease only expires in 1997, and, with a little luck things might quieten down. Given confidence and basic supplies, the economy would be sound.
In view of the contents of this letter I am marking it "Confidential", and since it is D.0. as we used to say in the Army, I am not circulating it. It is for you to give it what circulation (if any) you wish.
-y1s:
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