CONFIDENTIAL
HKB 04014
149
137345
MDHOAN 3515
TOP TOP COPY Q DIST?
CONFIDENTIAL
FM FCO
TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG
TELNO 1870
OF 14183OZ SEPTEMBER
89
INFO IMMEDIATE BTC HONG KONG
1
YOUR TELNO 2796 : HONG KONG 3,000 FOUNDATION
1. IN THE LIGHT OF THE ADVICE IN TUR, WE DECIDED NOT TO RECOMMEND THAT MR MAUDE SHOULD SEE MR CLIFF REECE WHEN HE WAS IN LONDON LAST WEEK. IN MCLAREN'S ABSENCE, WE ARRANGED FOR MR REECE TO CALL INSTEAD ON EDWARDS (LEGAL ADVISERS) AND HKD.
2 =
THE MAIN POINTS THAT EMERGED FROM THIS MEETING WERE THAT: (A) MR REECE APPEARS TO HAVE ATTRACTED FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM A NUMBER OF INFLUENTIAL BACKERS IN THE HONG KONG BUSINESS COMMUNITY (STANLEY HO, HUTCHISON WHAMPOA ETC). AS A RESULT HE HAS LEFT PEAT MARWICK AND IS NOW WORKING FULL TIME AS A POLITICAL LOBBYIST.
(B) ALTHOUGH MR REECE OPENED HIS PRESENTATION BY MAKING SOME EXTREMELY CRITICAL REMARKS ABOUT BRITISH POLICY ON HONG KONG AND SIR G HOWE'S LAST VISIT, HE ADOPTED A MUCH MORE MODERATE APPROACH WHEN WE DISCUSSED THE AIMS OF HIS FOUNDATION IN MORE DETAIL. HE APPEARED TO BE GENUINELY ANXIOUS TO FIND WAYS OF BOOSTING CONFIDENCE IN HONG KONG AND WAS WILLING TO ACCEPT THAT SOME OF HIS EARLIER IDEAS HAD BEEN UNREALISTIC.
(C) MR REECE INDICATED THAT HE HAD NOT YET DECIDED WHETHER THE ROLE OF THE HONG KONG FOUNDATION SHOULD BE TO WORK ALONGSIDE HMG/HKG OR TO ADOPT THE MORE CRITICAL STANCE OF A PRESSURE GROUP. THIS WOULD DEPEND TO SOME EXTENT ON OUR NATIONALITY PACKAGE. (D) MR REECE STRESSED THAT HE WAS ANXIOUS TO MAKE AMENDS FOR HIS OFFENSIVE REMARKS TO SIR G HOWE AND VERY MUCH HOPED TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO MEET MR MAUDE WHEN HE WAS IN HONG KONG. (HE SUBSEQUENTLY TELEPHONED EDWARDS FROM HONG KONG TO REINFORCE THIS POINT).
3. IN OUR VIEW, IT MIGHT BE WORTH TAKING SOME TROUBLE WITH MR REECE SINCE HIS MOTIVES APPEAR TO BE GOOD ONES AND HE MAYBE AMENABLE TO PERSUASION. AT THE SAME TIME, HE HAS THE CAPACITY TO MAKE TROUBLE. THERE COULD WELL BE MERIT THEREFORE IN MAKING A CONSIDERABLE NUISANCE VALUE. FURTHER EFFORT TO CHANNEL HIS 4. IN VIEW OF THIS, WE WOULD THERE IS ANY WAY HE COULD BE INCLUDED IN MR MAUDE'S PROGRAMME IN HONG KONG. HE CERTAINLY DOES NOT MERIT A ONE TO ONE MEETING AND
IT MAY THEREFORE BE WORTH MAKING A ENTHUSIASM IN A USEFUL DIRECTION. WELCOME YOUR ADVICE ON WHETHER
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