GRS 1200
CONFIDENT HAL
FM PEKING
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 173
OF 05090OZ FEBRUARY 87
CONFIDENTIAL
INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG
INFO ROUTINE TOKYO, WASHINGTON, MOSCOW
INFO SAVING SHANGHA!!!
MY TELNO.90:
CHINESE LEADERSHIP.
M
29
SUMMARY.
1. A GOOD DEAL OF MYSTERY STILL SURROUNDS HU YAOBANG'S DISMISSAL. IT LOOKS AS IF THE PURGE OF SENIOR PARTY MEMBERS WHO WERE OVER- ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT POLITICAL REFORM HAS ENDED, AT ANY RATE FOR THE TIME BEING. THERE IS DISCORD BETWEEN THE TONE OF ZHAO ZIYANG AND THAT OF THE PRESS ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST BOURGEOIS LIBERALISATION. DOUBT THE THEORY THAT DENG XIAOPING HAS HAD TO YHELD TO CONSERVATIVES IN THE UPPER RECHES OF THE LEADERSHIP. NOT THANK THAT RECENT EVENTS HAVE CHANGED THE ATTITUDE OF THE
LEADERSHIP TOWARDS THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE JOINT DECLARATION.
HU'S DISMISSAL.
DO
2. WE ARE NOT MUCH WISER ABOUT THE CIRCUMSTANCES THAN WE WERE A
FORTNIGHT AGO. BUT IT IS NOW ACCEPTED BY MOST OBSERVERS (DIPLOMATIC AND NON-DIPLOMATIC) HERE THAT DENG'S DISSATISFACTION WITH HU'S PERFORMANCE AS GENERAL-SECRETARY ANTEDATES THE STUDENT DEMONSTRATIONS OF DECEMBER BY SOME TIME AND THAT HU'S REACTION (OR ABSENCE OF MT) TO THESE WAS ONLY THE LAST STRAW. THERE MUST ALSO BE SOMETHING #N ZHAO'S STATEMENT THAT HU COULD NOT BE TRUSTED TO CONDUCT THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST BOURGEOIS LIBERALISATION.
3. ACCORDING TO THE AUSTRALIAN AMBASSADOR, WHO HAS GOOD SOURCES, THERE WAS A MEETING OF THE POLITBURO AT WHICH FUR FLEW ON 6 OR 7 JANUARY. DENG CAME TO THE MEETING IN A RAGE AND CRITICISED SEVERAL OF THOSE PRESENT FOR THE WAY MN WHICH THEY HAD ALLOWED SENIOR MEMBERS OF THE PARTY TO ENCOURAGE THE STUDENTS TO DEMONSTRATE. HIS PRINCIPAL TARGETS WERE HU YAOBANG, HU QILIH AND WAN L. THIS STORY FILTS UN WITH THE SEQUENCE OF OVERT EVENTS. WHAT IT LEAVES UNEXPLAINED IS WHY L PENG, A MEMBER OF THE POLITBURO AND CHAIRMAN OF THE STATE EDUCATION COMMISSION, SHOULD HAVE APPARENTLY ESCAPED
UNSCATHED.
CAMPAIGN AGAINST BOURGEOIS LIBERALISATION.
4. A PUZZLING THING ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN IS THE MARKED DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TONE OF WHAT ZHAO HAS BEEN SAYING (MY TELNO.155) AND THE TONE OF COMMENTARIES IN THE PRESS ABOUT WANG RUOWANG, FANG LIZHI AND
CONFIDENTIAL
/LIU
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