TNAG-1359-FCO40-1800-Executive-Council-of-Hong-Kong-memoranda-and-minutes-of-meet-1985 — Page 246

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3.

The Deputy to the Governor thought paragraph

(d) made the point in an oblique but meaningful way. It

was

important not to give the impression that the

Chinese were being consulted on matters that lay within

HMG's preserve and it was still more important that the

public should not know that there had been an earlier

proposal of "British National: Hong Kong" which had

been dropped following Chinese objections.

If pressed,

we had been authorised to say that the Chinese had been

informed and had not raised any objections.

4.

The Attorney General pointed out that, in

in the

preceding day's debate, one Member of Parliament had

remarked that the agreed title was seventh on a list of

possibilities discussed with the Executive Council. The

Deputy to the Governor said that one of the Unofficials

in London must have disclosed this point. Nevertheless

the point clearly indicated that the field had been

exhaustively and carefully covered.

(The Secretary (General

DAVIES, the Secretary (General

Duties), Mr L.M.

Duties) (Designate),

Mr

P.B.

WILLIAMS,

the

Political

Adviser

(Designate), Mr J.D.I. BOYD, and the Deputy Political

Adviser, Mr R.P. MARGOLIS, attended before the Council.)