TNAG-1985-FCO40-2818-Presentation-of-UK-policy-on-Hong-Kong-to-the-media-1989 — Page 50

106

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG

TO TELELETTER FCO

TELELETTER NFR

OF 21115OZ JUNE 89

FROM

FOLLOWING FOR

R

JU

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDEN

1. WE MISS MARSDEN

MR FOOTMAN

MR WOOO

MR LEICEST2

MR PAUL

2. PA

No23/6

MC:

HD 30111

HER

PS

PS/Lord Glenarthur PS/PUS

Mr Gillmore

Mr Paul,

HKD

Mr Millington, FED

Mr BhNews Dept

Mr Muir, Information Dept

SIR DAVID WILSON KCMG, GOVERNOR RJT MCLAREN, AUSS, FCO

PRESENTATION OF BRITISH POLICIES IN HONG KONG

104)

I QUITE UNDERSTAND

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TELELETTER OF 20 JUNE. THE WISH AT THE LONDON END TO HAVE SOME WAY OF PUTTING ACCROSS IN HONG KONG, HMG'S POINT OF VIEW WHEN, AS ON NATIONALITY, WE DIFFER. WHAT YOU SAY IN THE SECOND SENTENCE OF YOUR PARAGRAPH 5 IS OF COURSE THE IDEAL SOLUTION: BUT I ACCEPT THAT IN THIS FAR FROM IDEAL WORLD IT IS NOT LIKELY TO HAPPEN IN ALL CASES EXCLAM

2. I SEE THE CASE FOR ATTACHING AN INFORMATION OFFICER TO THE TRADE COMMISSION. NO OBJECTION TO YOU DOING THAT. YOU WILL HOWEVER HAVE TO ACCEPT THAT HE WILL INEVITABLY BECOME MORE THAN SIMPLY A ONE-WAY TRANSMISSION BELT FOR HMG'S POINT OF VIEW ON ISSUES AFFECTING HONG KONG. INEVITABLY, HE WILL BE RUNG UP BY EVERY JOURNALIST IN TOWN WHENEVER THEY WANT A UK REACTION TO ANYTHING SAID OR DONE HERE. HE WILL BECOME PART OF THE DIAL-A-QUOTE SYSTEM. THAT BEING SO YOU WILL HAVE TO CHOOSE SOMEBODY WITH A GREAT DEAL OF POLITICAL COMMON SENSE AND PROBABLY QUITE A THICK SKIN AS WELL.

4. NO OBJECTION IN PRINCIPLE TO PETER HEAP MAKING OCCASIONAL COMMENTS TO EXPLAIN WHAT MINISTER HAVE SAID ABOUT HONG KONG RELATED ISSUES. BUT HE WILL NEED TO TAKE GREAT CARE, FOR THE SAKE OF HIS OWN JOB AND USEFULNESS AS A PROMOTER OF TRADE, NOT TO FIND HIMSELF ALSO PART OF THE DIAL-A-QUOTE SYSTEM. INEVITABLY, OVER THE COMING MONTHS, THERE IS LIKELY TO BE A GREAT DEAL OF FRUSTRATED EMOTION AROUND, MUCH OF WHICH MAY SPIN OFF INTO INTEMPERATE COMMENTS ABOUT THE UK. AS YOU WILL KNOW FROM YOUR OWN EXPERIENCE OF HONG KONG, THIS GOES ON ALL THE TIME: MUCH OF IT ON PARTICULAR ISSUES ALSO EVAPORATES OVER TIME. IF PETER HEAP ESTABLISHES HIMSELF AS THE SPOKESMAN FOR HMG, AND IS CONSTANTLY IN THE NEWS SO DOING, HE COULD WELL FIND THAT HE HAS CRAMPED HIS STYLE WITH HIS BUSINESS CONTACTS.

4.

ON THE POLITICS OF THE VARIOUS ISSUES HERE, PETER HEAP, AND HIS NEW INFORMATION OFFICER IF APPOINTED, SHOULD KEEP IN TOUCH WITH THE

1

PAGE

CONFIDENTIAL