TNAG-1890-FCO40-2683-Visits-by-Sir-Geoffrey-Howe-and-by-Douglas-Hurd--Secretaries-1989 — Page 104

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044426 MDHOAN 825

B) ARRIVAL ARRANGEMENTS. INEVITABLY THERE WILL BE A NUMBER OF BRITISH JOURNALISTS TRAVELLING ON THE SAME FLIGHT. CAN THE FORMALITIES BE SIMPLIFIED FOR THEM SO THAT THEY CAN COVER THE

ARRIVAL STATEMENT?

C)

PHOTO-OPPORTUNITIES.

MAIN PHOTO-OPPORTUNITIES.

I SHALL NEED TO KNOW IN ADVANCE THE

MY PREDECESSOR FELT THAT ON HIS 1988

VISIT THIS HAD NOT WORKED WELL. THERE WERE TOO MANY MILLING JOURNALISTS AT FIXED PRESS POINTS AND VERY HEAVY-HANDED SECURITY BLOCKING THE CAMERA ANGLES. A POOL SYSTEM AND GREATER FLEXIBILITY IS PREFERABLE TO A RIGIDLY ORGANISED SCRUM:

THE PRESS PRESENCE IS LESS OBTRUSIVE THEN THE VALUE TO US OF OPPORTUNISTIC DOORSTEP INTERVIEWS BECOMES GREATER.

AND IF

D) SPEECH. THIS SHOULD BE COVERED BY RADIO AND TV, AND THE VISITING PRESS AND AGENCY ALL BY POOLS IF NECESSARY.

E) PRESS CONFERENCE. THE FINAL PRESS CONFERENCE WILL BE OF KEY IMPORTANCE. THE SECRETARY OF STATE WILL NEED TIME TO REVIEW HIS OPENING STATEMENT AND OTHERWISE PREPARE HIMSELF (IE HALF AN HOUR). THE PRESS CONFERENCE WILL NOT LAST MORE THAN HALF AN HOUR BUT WILL BE FOLLOWED BY RADIO AND TV INTERVIEWS. WE SHALL CERTAINLY INCLUDE BBC RADIO, IRN (IF THERE), BBC TV, ITN AND CHANNEL 4. WE SHALL NEED ADVICE ON WHETHER HE SHOULD GIVE ANY INTERVIEWS TO HONG KONG RADIO AND TV. ALL THIS COULD TAKE AT LEAST A FURTHER HOUR. I WILL CHAIR THE PRESS CONFERENCE. THE

COI WILL TRANSMIT IT LIVE TO LONDON FOR IMMEDIATE TRANSCRIPTION

AND RETURN BY FAX. LADY HOWE LIKES TO ATTEND.

F) LOCAL MEDIA. PLEASE HAVE AVAILABLE A LIST OF LOCALLY

RESIDENT BRITISH PRESS REPRESENTATIVES AND THEIR TELEPHONE

NUMBERS.

G) VPB CAMPS. PRESS AND MEDIA COVERAGE NEEDS CAREFUL THOUGHT TO ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE (IE OUR GENEROSITY AND CONCERN, NOT OUR CALLOUSNESS). THIS ALSO POINTS TO HELPING THE JOURNALISTS TO COVER THE PLACES WHICH WE VISIT BY HELICOPTER.

HOWE

YYYY

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