CONFIDENTIAL
FM BTC HONG KONG TO PRIORITY DTI
TELNO OTTER 270
OF 07100OZ DECEMBER 90
INFO PRIORITY FCO
CONFIDENTIAL
HKC 182 12
11 DEC1990
Ра
Вод
173051
MDLIAN 3122
DTI FOR ROGERS, PEP
YRTELNO OTTER 322: HONG KONG AIRPORT PROJECT
1. YOU WILL BY NOW HAVE RECEIVED MY LETTER OF 26 NOVEMBER REPORTING ON JOHN FLETCHER'S VISIT. YOU ALSO SHOULD HAVE SEEN THE GOVERNOR'S LETTER TO ME OF 24 NOVEMBER WHICH I COPIED TO ADAMS, WHICH ALSO COMMENTS ON FLETCHER'S VISIT. YOU WILL SEE FROM THE GOVERNOR'S LETTER THAT HE ALSO COPIED TO ME HIS REPLY TO SIR G MANZIE.
2. EVEN ALTHOUGH JOHN FLETCHER'S MEETING WITH MRS ANSON CHAN WAS CLEARLY DIFFICULT, LEADING IN TURN TO ANSON CHAN'S TELEPHONE CALL TO ME AS REPORTED IN MY LETTER, AND TO THE COMMENTS BY THE GOVERNOR IN HIS FINAL PARAGRAPH, I AM NOT SURE THAT ANY HARM WAS DONE. THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT HAS SHIFTED ITS GROUND. THEIR FIRST APPROACHES TO TRAFALGAR HOUSE TO TELL THEM THAT A PRE- EMPTIVE BID WOULD BE UNWELCOME, IN WHICH WE PLAYED NO PART AND INDEED OF WHICH I WAS UNAWARE AT THE TIME, PLACED HEAVY EMPHASIS, AND INDEED ALMOST ALL THE EMPHASIS, ON A LIKELY CHINESE REACTION. ONLY SUBSEQUENTLY WHEN TRAFALGAR HOUSE AND WE OURSELVES BEGAN TO POINT OUT THAT THIS DID INDEED REPRESENT A TILTING OF THE PLAYING FIELDS AGAINST THE UK DID THE EMPHASIS SHIFT TO OTHER FACTORS. I DOUBT THEREFORE WHETHER JOHN FLETCHER'S COMMENTS DID ANY HARM EVEN ALTHOUGH THEY WERE CLEARLY UNWELCOME AND DOUBTLESS COULD HAVE BEEN MORE DIPLOMATICALLY EXPRESSED.
3. IT SEEMS UNLIKELY THAT C ITOH HAVE DISAPPEARED (YOUR PARA 3). BENJAMIN AND A TEAM OF JAPANESE COLLEAGUES WILL BE IN HONG KONG NEXT WEEK AND ARE TO CALL ON ME ON 10 DECEMBER. MEANWHILE RUMOURS ARE CIRCULATING HERE IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR THAT TRAFALGAR HOUSE HAVE SUBSEQUENTLY LOST INTEREST. THESE HAVE NO DOUBT BEEN FUELLED BY THE DEPARTURE OF ADMAS, AJC'S LOCAL REPRESENTATIVE, AND THEIR FAILURE TO DATE TO PULL IN THE ANTICIPATED JAPANESE ALLIES.
HEAP
PAGE 1 CONFIDENTIAL
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