CONFIDENTIAL
FM FCO
TO PRIORITY PEKING
TELNO 631
OF 13184OZ JUNE 91
CONFIDENTIAL
pa HKB
HKB 027/1
110
150412
MDLOAN 4475
FOLLOWING TELEGRAM NOW REPEATED TO YOU AT REQUEST OF HKD WAS
RECEIVED FROM HONG KONG TELNO 1866 OF 10110OZ JUNE 91
FOR COX, HKD.
回
YOUR TELEGRAM NO 1085: MY VISIT TO LONDON.
1. THANK YOU FOR THE INFORMATION IN TUR. GRATEFUL TO KNOW WHO MR. BICKHAM IS. IS HE A SPECIAL ADVISER? IF SO, GRATEFUL FOR BACKGROUND INFORMATION BOTH ON HIM AND ON THE INTEREST THAT HE
HAS IN HONG KONG AFFAIRS.
2. AS YOU KNOW, WE HAVE NOT YET ANNOUNCED THAT I WILL BE MEETING THE PRIME MINISTER OR HAVING AN AUDIENCE WITH HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN. I HAD BEEN THINKING OF ANNOUNCING MY CALL ON THE PM ON MY DEPARTURE FROM HONG KONG. BUT MY AUDIENCE WITH THE QUEEN WILL BE PUBLICLY ANNOUNCED IN THE COURT CIRCULAR. I WOULD PREFER TO LET THIS BE KNOWN BEFORE I LEAVE HONG KONG, TO AVOID ANY MISPLACED SPECULATION. BUT TO ANNOUNCE BOTH ON MY DEPARTURE MIGHT ITSELF AROUSE SPECULATION.
3. MY INCLINATION IS THEREFORE TO LET BOTH MEETINGS BECOME KNOWN PUBLICLY IN ADVANCE OF MY DEPARTURE. THIS WOULD ALLOW US TO DO
SOME BACKGROUND BRIEFING TO THE EFFECT THAT I WAS SEEING THE QUEEN BECAUSE I HAD NOT BEEN ABLE TO RETURN TO LONDON FOR THE AWARD OF MY GCMG.
4. GRATEFUL FOR YOUR ADVICE ON WHETHER THIS WOULD BE ACCEPTABLE TO BOTH THE PALACE AND NO. 10.
WILSON
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