CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE PEKING
TELNO 92
OF 02045OZ NOVEMBER 92
CONFIDENTIAL
MAR 017/7
INFO IMMEDIATE FCO, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
p.r. Presentation (83)
011055 MDHIAN 5806
TOP COPY Q DIST ?
PERSONAL FOR AMBASSADOR FROM GOVERNOR
FCO PERSONAL FOR RICKETTS, HKD UKREP JLG PERSONAL FOR GALSWORTHY
JON SWAIN'S ARTICLE IN THE SUNDAY TIMES: 1 NOVEMBER
1. ON 1 NOVEMBER THE SUNDAY TIMES CARRIED A LONG PIECE FROM ITS ASIA CORRESPONDENT, JON SWAIN, WHICH CONTAINED A REFERENCE TO A TELEGRAM FROM YOU FOLLOWING MY VISIT TO PEKING. WE ARE SENDING A COPY OF THE ARTICLE BY FAX IN CASE IT HAS NOT REACHED YOU YET.
2. MUCH OF SWAIN'S MATERIAL IS GOSSIP AND IS BEST IGNORED, BUT THE REFERENCE IN THE LAST TWO PARAGRAPHS TO A TELEGRAM FROM YOU IS UNHELPFUL. YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT I GAVE AN INTERVIEW TO BOTH JON SWAIN AND JAMES PRINGLE OF THE TIMES ON 29 OCTOBER. SWAIN DID NOT RAISE THIS ISSUE DURING THE INTERVIEW. NO REFERENCE TO IT APPEARS IN PRINGLE'S ARTICLE ON 30 OCTOBER.
3. WE HAVE ASKED SWAIN ABOUT THE MATERIAL. NOT SURPRISINGLY, HE WILL NOT REVEAL HIS SOURCES. HOWEVER, HE INSISTS THAT HE GOT THIS MATERIAL AND THE QUOTE FROM A QUOTE NON-HONG KONG GOVERNMENT SOURCE IN HONG KONG UNQUOTE. HE HAS CONFIRMED THAT THIS IS SOMETHING HE CAME ACROSS AFTER HIS INTERVIEW WITH ME, WHICH OF COURSE EXPLAINS WHY I WAS NOT ASKED ABOUT IT.
4.
IF WE ARE ASKED TO COMMENT ON THIS REPORT, WE WILL DISMISS IT AS ILL-INFORMED SPECULATION.
PATTEN
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