CONFIDENTIAL
E
to upgrade our efforts if representations at working level were
ignored. He asked to be kept in touch with developments. Mr Paul
submitted further advice on 10 August but the Department was asked
to resubmit, updated as necessary on the Secretary of State's
return.
F
G
H
I, J
A.
In the meantime there have been a number of further
developments:
On 8 August the Manager of Dow Chemicals in Shanghai made
clear to the Consulate that he was not too concerend at the
conduct of the investigation and did not wish us to take action
which might escalate matters (Shanghai telno 59).
On 10 August Dow HK told the Political Adviser that one of the 2 businessmen concerned had been interviewed by the Shanghai
police on 8 August and given to understand that his colleague's plan to travel to Japan on 17 August would cause no difficulties (Hong Kong telno 2680).
In the light of this and a further report from Shanghai that
the Shanghai authorities appeared to wish to clear the case up
quickly, Peking recommended that we should not intervene unless there was renewed pressure.
We have since had confirmation from Hong Kong that both
businessmen have now left China and are safely in Hong Kong.
(Hong Kong telno 2824 and 2848). The more senior of the two was
told by the Shanghai authorities before his departure that they
accepted tht he was not responsible for the actions of his
staff. The company are now considering whether the two men should return to Shanghai.
5. The draft reply submitted by Mr Paul on 10 August has been
revised to take account of these developments.
Rosalind Mande
1
have slightly
recast
the
dratu
R M Marsden
CONFIDENTIAL
letter
Inatu
367 vii
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