CONFIDENTIAL
visits to London
to London for consultations, as Sir Edward did. He
also established a pattern of occasional visits to Peking. I
would hope to continue that. I would also expect, like Sir
Edward, to pay visits from time to time to other countries, in support of Hong Kong's interests.
Q.
When do you expect to go to Peking?
A.
My main priority will be to brief myself and then settle into
the job in Hong Kong. But I shall certainly hope to be able
to visit Peking in due course, to maintain the very useful
contacts established by Sir E Youde.
Q.
A.
Do you think you have the necessary
administrative
skills/expertise to take charge of a large administration/
run a dynamic territory such as Hong Kong?
In my four years as Political Adviser, I participated in the
administration of Hong Kong, and learned something of how it
works. It was clear to me then, and it is even clearer to me
now, that Hong Kong has a very efficient administration
indeed, staffed by some extremely able people. I am sure
they will do all they can to make the administrative part of
my task as easy as it can be. But certainly I have much to
learn, and shall be starting this right away. I shall be having a very thorough briefing, both here and in Hong Kong after my arrival.
Q.
What do you consider to be the most demanding aspects of the
job?
A.
I am under no
illusions about the demanding nature of the job as a whole. The scope of my new responsibilities will be much wider than in any of my previous jobs. In considering
matters of internal policy, the Governor of Hong Kong has to
take into account the interests of all the various
groups in
CONFIDENTIAL
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.