TNAG-1301-FCO40-1657-Visits-by-Richard-Luce--Minister-of-State-for-Foreign-and-Co-1984 — Page 53

HKK 027/12

RECEIVLU IN REGISTRY

27 FEB 1934

DENK OFFICER INDEX

PA

REGISTRY

tetion Taken

(62).

iam

24/2

GR 120

RESTRICTED

RESTRICTED

FM HONG KONG 23092OZ FEB 84

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELEGRAM NUMBER 509 OF 23 FEBRUARY

INFO IMMEDIATE BRUNEI (FOR PS/MR LUCE), PEKING

FCO TELNO

(59

OF 22 FEBRUARY TO BRUNEI: INTERVIEW WITH MR LUCE.

WE DO NOT QUITE SEE THE POINT OF MR LUCE GIVING AN INTERVIEW ON HONG KONG BEFORE HIS ARRIVAL HERE. MONTGOMERY'S RELATIONSHIP WITH GIS IS IN REALITY NOT VERY DIFFERENT FROM THAT BETWEEN GIS AND THE HONG KONG MEDIA AT LARGE. SO THE ASSUMPTION IN THE LAST SENTENCE OF THE FINAL PARAGRAPH OF YOUR TEL UNDER REF MIGHT BE

UNSAFE.

2. OF COURSE, IF MR LUCE SO WISHES, WE WOULD HAVE NO OBJECTION

TO HIS GIVING MONTGOMERY AN INTERVIEW AFTER ARRIVAL IN HK.

HOWEVER, IF YOU ALREADY HAVE, ON OUR ADVICE (MY TELNO 486 OF 22 FEBRUARY TO YOU), TURNED DOWN JILL HARTLEY OF SCMP, THERE MAY

WELL BE A PROBLEM FOR US IN TERMS OF OUR RELATIONS WITH THE HK

MEDIA IN GENERAL, AND SCMP IN PARTICULAR, IF RTHK IS TO BE ALLOWED

TO INTERVIEW MR LUCE ON THIS OCCASION.

HADDON-CAVE

LIMITED

NEWS D.

MED

PS/MR LUCE

MR.DONALD SIR. P. CRADDOCKS.

RESTRICTED