TNAG-1431-FCO40-1914-Sensitivity-review-of-FCO-records-on-Hong-Kong-1985 — Page 129

GR 250 ·

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG 04090OZ JAN 85

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELEGRAM NUMBER 28 OF 4 JANUARY

INFO PRIORITY PEKING

RELEASE OF CABINET RECORDS: HONG KONG

COP COP)

HICK 444

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RECEIVED IN SE TRY

INDEX

- 7 JAN 1935

1. LOCAL RADIO STATIONS AND THE NEWSPAPERS ARE CARRYING REPORTS THAT BRITISH CABINET RECORDS FOR 1954, WHICH WERE RELEASED AT THE NEW YEAR, HAVE REVEALED THAT THE FORMER PRIME MINISTER, SIR WINSTON CHURCHILL, HAD MADE A SECRET DECISION IN APRIL 1954 TO ABANDON THE DEFENCE OF HONG KONG. IT IS CLAIMED THAT THIS DECISION WAS CONSIDERED AS SO SENSITIVE THAT EVEN THE GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG WAS NOT TOLD.

2. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN HELPFUL IF WE COULD HAVE BEEN WARNED THAT RECORDS OF THIS SENSITIVITY WERE ABOUT TO BE RELEASED. THE REVELATION THAT HONG KONG WAS NOT TOLD HAS COME AT AN AWKWARD TIME WHEN UMELCO IS SENSITIVE ABOUT THE EXTENT OF CONSULTATION WITH HONG KONG AND THE DEGREE TO WHICH HONG KONG WILL BE TOLD ABOUT THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP. THE FACT THAT THE GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG WAS NOT TOLD ABOUT THE IMPORTANT 1954 DEFENCE DECISION WILL FUEL SUSPICION, HOWEVER UNJUSTIFIED, THAT, IN MAJOR MATTERS OF POLICY AFFECTING HONG KONG, THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT HAS NOT ALWAYS BEEN CONSULTED OR EVEN KEPT INFORMED.

3. ON THE ASSUMPTION THAT THERE WILL BE SIMILARLY SENSITIVE DOCUMENTS DUE FOR RELEASE IN THE COMING YEARS IT WILL BE IMPORTANT TO BEAR IN MIND THE UNIQUE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE TRANSITION PERIOD, WHICH MEAN THAT THE PASSAGE OF 30 YEARS WILL NOT NECESSARILY REMOVE THE SENSITIVITY: AND THAT EVEN WHERE DOCUMENTS ARE RELEASED PREPARATION OF PUBLIC OPINION BEFOREHAND WILL BE NECESSARY. 1 SHOULD THEREFORE BE GRATEFUL IF THE DEPARTMENT COULD TAKE STEPS TO ENSURE THAT CURRENT HONG KONG REQUIREMENTS ARE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT IN DECIDING ON PUBLICATION.

YOUDE

MINIMAL

HKD

LEGAL ADVISERS

THIS TELEGRAM

WAS NOT

ADVANCED

CONFIDENTIAL

See 8

uuu!!