CONFIDENTIAL
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MDHOAN 3697
BELOW). SIMILAR BRIEFINGS IN THE PAST HAVE BEEN HELD BY MINISTERS OR BY OFFICIALS.
(C) THE NEXT STEP WOULD BE A FORMAL HEARING. THE COMMITTEE HOPED
TO START TAKING ORAL EVIDENCE BEFORE EASTER. EVIDENCE WOULD BE GIVEN BY MINISTERS AND BY OFFICIALS. WE ARE NOW CONSULTING MINISTERS ABOUT THEIR INVOLVEMENT. ON THE OFFICIAL SIDE WE WOULD EXPECT MCLAREN TO GIVE EVIDENCE.
(D) THE FAC WOULD THEN VISIT HONG KONG AND PEKING. WILSON THOUGHT THEY WOULD WISH TO DO THIS SOMETIME IN APRIL AND MENTIONED AS A RANGE OF POSSIBLE DATES THE WEEKS BEGINNING 9 APRIL, 16 APRIL, 23 APRIL AND 6 MAY IN ORDER OF PREFERENCE. HE ENVISAGED THAT THE FAC WOULD ARRIVE IN HONG KONG ON THE SATURDAY
HONG KONG, AND PROCEED TO AND A HALF DAY PROGRAMME
OR SUNDAY, HAVE A FULL WORKING WEEK IN PEKING ON THE FOLLOWING SUNDAY FOR A 2 PERMITTING DEPARTURE ON THE WEDNESDAY EVENING. GRATEFUL FOR COMMENTS FROM HONG KONG AND PEKING ON THESE POSSIBLE DATES. GIVEN PEKING'S HEAVY PROGRAMME OF VISITORS DURING APRIL (PEKING TEL. NO. 104), THE EARLIEST OPPORTUNITY
FOR THE FAC WOULD APPEAR TO BE THE WEEK BEGINNING
16 APRIL IN HONG KONG WITH THE VISIT TO PEKING
BEGINNING ON 22 APRIL. SINCE THE FAC ARE STILL NOT CLEAR ON DATES, WE SUGGEST THAT YOU HOLD FIRM TO EXISTING BOOKINGS FOR THE TIME BEING. WE WOULD BE GRATEFUL FOR PEKING'S VIEWS ON WHAT SORT OF PROGRAMME THE CHINESE MIGHT BE EXPECTED TO OFFER.
(E) ON THEIR RETURN, THE FAC WOULD HOLD FURTHER FORMAL SESSIONS IN LONDON. THIS WOULD PROBABLY INVOLVE OFFICIALS AND MINISTERS. 4. ON THE COMMITTEE'S VISIT TO HONG KONG, THE FOLLOWING ADDITIONAL POINTS EMERGED:
(A) CONTRARY TO THE IMPRESSION GIVEN IN OUR TELNO 202 TO HONG KONG, WILSON STRESSED THAT THE FAC HAS NOT YET DECIDED WHETHER IT WISHES TO TAKE FORMAL EVIDENCE IN HONG KONG, AND IF SO, WHETHER THIS SHOULD BE DONE IN PUBLIC OR IN PRIVATE.
WE EMPHASIZED THAT THE FAC VISIT WOULD
INEVITABLY BE VERY HIGH PROFILE. OPEN FORMAL SESSIONS WOULD BE MAJOR PUBLIC OCCASIONS, LEADING TO AN EVEN HIGHER PROFILE, AND MIGHT ENCOURAGE SOME WITNESSES TO PLAY TO THE GALLERY. WILSON SAID THAT THE FAC WAS AWARE OF THESE RISKS BUT WOULD ALSO BE CONCERNED TO ENSURE THAT IT WAS NOT PERCEIVED AS SEEING ONLY THE ESTABLISHMENT OR AS WORKING PURELY IN PRIVATE. THECOMMITTEE WOULD WISH TO SEE AS WIDE A RANGE OF PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE. (B) WE EMPHASIZED THAT CONSIDERATION SHOULD BE GIVEN TO YOUR SPECIAL POSITION IN HONG KONG. IT WAS QUITE DIFFERENT
FROM THE POSITION OF THE GOVERNOR IN GIBRALTAR. WILSON THOUGHT IT WOULD BE VERY SURPRISING IF THE FAC DID NOT WANT YOU TO
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