TNAG-1431-FCO40-1914-Sensitivity-review-of-FCO-records-on-Hong-Kong-1985 — Page 130

CONFIDENTIAL

Saparat minist

·T.4i

Mr Fifoot, Deputy Legal Adviser

FROM: C O HUM,

CO HKD

DATE: 2 January 1985.

SENSITIVE RECORDS CONCERNING HONG KONG

HKK 444/1

RECEIVE.

1.

I attach:

EGISTRY

INDEX

Son Taken

© on

HKK 444/1 1984.

i) a self-explanatory mínute from Library and Records

Department about some 1948 papers on Hong Kong, which have

been administratively withdrawn from the Public Records

Office;

ii) the most sensitive of these papers (flagged on the attached

file) namely a legal opinion on the status of the walled

city of Kowloon;

iii) a letter (intended as a draft) which I propose to send to

the Secretary for Security in Hong Kong, proposing that

these papers should now be restored to the public domain.

2. I should be most grateful for your advice on the following

points:

i) From a lawyer's point of view, does the 1948 legal opinion

so seriously undermine our position on sovereignty, or our

position in relation to the Hong Kong agreement, that it

should be suppressed?

ii) Assuming that the answer is no, do you agree more generally

with my conclusion that the paper should now be released?

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CONFIDENTIAL