tellD 382/2
RECEIVED
21 NOV 1937
OSK OF TAR
INDEX
26
CONFIDENTIAL
145202
MDHIAN 6196
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 4341
OF 17074OZ NOVEMBER 87
INFO PRIORITY PEKING
25
TOP COPY a DIST
A
PEKING TELNO 172: ICAC INTEREST IN CHINESE LAND COMMISSION MEMBER.
1. ICAC DO NOT KNOW HOW MUCH VALUABLE INFORMATION, IF ANY, CHUNG IS LIKELY TO HAVE. AS A FIRST STEP THEY WOULD SIMPLY LIKE TO TALK TO HIM. SUBJECT TO WHAT MIGHT EMERGE FROM THAT, THEY MIGHT WISH TO TAKE A SWORN STATEMENT FROM HIM OR TO HAVE HIM APPEAR IN COURT AS A WITNESS IF THESE FURTHER STAGES ARE IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE CHINESE, ICAC WOULD NEVERTHELESS STILL VALUE AN INFORMAL TALK.
·
2. CLIFT WILL NOW SPEAK TO SUN YANHENG. WE JUDGE THAT SUN WILL CONFIRM THAT THE CHINESE DO NOT WANT CHUNG TO APPEAR AS A WITNESS. BUT WE ARE NOT SURE FROM THE CONVERSATION RECORDED IN TUR WHETHER THE CHINESE HAVE A PROBLEM ONLY WITH CHUNG'S APPEARANCE AS A WITNESS OR WITH THE WHOLE QUESTION OF WAIVING IMMUNITY, I.E. WHETHER THEY WOULD LIKE TO BE HELPFUL ONLY WITHIN BOUNDS IN WHICH THE QUESTION OF WAIVER DOES NOT ARISE. IF IT IS THE LATTER, THEN PRESUMABLY A SWORN STATEMENT WOULD ALSO NOT BE POSSIBLE. WE HOPE HOWEVER THAT IN THAT CASE IT MIGHT BE POSSIBLE TO AGREE WITH THE CHINESE THAT THE ICAC MIGHT HAVE AN ''INFORMAL CHAT'' WITH CHUNG, WITHOUT HAVING TO REQUEST WAIVER OF IMMUNITY.
3. GRATEFUL FOR EARLY CONFIRMATION THAT YOU ARE CONTENT WITH THIS APPROACH, WHICH SEEMS TO US TO BE CONSISTENT WITH OUR PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES (JOINT LIAISON GROUP AND LAND COMMISSION ORDINANCE, CAP 36.)
WILSON
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CONFIDENTIAL
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