HKC 182
18212
CONFIDENTIAL
W
FROM: A R Paul
DATE:
Hong Kong Department
5 October 1990
PS/Lord Caithness
HONG KONG AIRPORT PROJECT
Cc:
PS/PUS
Mr McLaren
Mr Burns
1. Lord Caithness might appreciate some brief preliminary comments on the Governor's telegram number 2949 (attached), which I have discussed with Mr McLaren.
2.
We do not find the argument in paragraph 1 that the announcement had been public knowledge for such a long time. that those briefing Lord Caithness did not see the need to mention it - at all convincing. If the fact was publicly known (and even Mr Yaxley, the Hong Kong Commissioner here,
was unaware of it), it was certainly not as obvious as the Governor appears to suggest. Sir D Wilson has not, of course, explained the absence of any reference to the
announcement in the exchanges about the Chinese visit.
3.
Nor do we find the argument in paragraph 3 (ie that a public commitment had been made to make an announcement) an impressive one. Governments are entitled to change their plans, as indeed the Hong Kong Government does from time to
time (eg over the timing of decisions on the Central Wanchai
Reclamation).
RW1AAT/1
CONFIDENTIAL
149
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