CONFIDENTIAL
I agree with Mr Rickett's comments, so far as they go. And I have authorised the despatch of the telegram.
1.
2.
I share his surprise that the Hong Kong Government Office here have not been more active in bringing to the attention of editors/leader writers the views of the Hong Kong press. There is plenty of material. On the other hand, I have a fundamentally quite good opinion of Mr Yaxley's operations here in cultivating MPs, media and other opinion-formers. We are in regular touch about the visiting programme - on which we should be pressing ahead again now that the elections are over.
3.
John Elliott (ex-Financial Times correspondent in Hong Kong) has been appointed by Sir D Ford to focus on selling Hong Kong more effectively as an economic, financial and commercial centre. He will have to show his paces and his commitment before he can be let loose on the politics.
4.
But what all this suggests to me is that the Governor of Hong Kong ought to have a personal Press Secretary. Such a person might, if suitably qualified, also fill the other gap in his staff, which is someone to draft correspondence and process business between the Governor and the FCO (which seriously smothers him at times). But, at the minimum, the Governor would benefit from having someone who could get across his views to the young and/or often rather tacky hacks of Hong Kong; brief Mr Yaxley and his like regularly and promptly on the Governor's thinking so that they can lobby more effectively on his behalf; and even get involved personally in briefing key opinion-formers directly by phone and fax on the basis of an authoritative and up-to-the-moment understanding of the Hong Kong scene and the Governor's wishes.
3 October 1991
Cc:
Private Secretary
Sir J Coles
Mr Cornish, News Department
Mr Bickham, Special Adviser Mr Ricketts, HKD
A31AAO
CONFIDENTIAL
Rudaw nan
R A Burns
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