TNAG-2627-FCO40-3818-Classified-communication-facilities-in-Hong-Kong-1992 — Page 10

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香港總督府

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

GOVERNMENT HOUSE HONG KONG

26'

Pub Ihr Berten Misti

to be avave

16 November 1992

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Me

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Деси роса,

Secure Telephone Links

Mr Thoma Mr Marisa

We now seem to have a satisfactory secure telephone links between Hong Kong and London, with Government House, No 10, the Secretary of State's Office, Mr Goodlad and you, all connected via Patron. Incidentally, the complete number you need to ring from London to talk to Government House is 997700362. Since the phone is in the Governor's study, it would be best to phone us first on the regular GH number whenever you wish to line up a Patron call.

The missing link remains a secure line to Peking, both from London and from Hong Kong. This is badly needed, as the experience of the Governor's recent visit to Peking showed. Prior to that visit the Governor's party was advised to take with them a case full of Brahms equipment only to find on arrival that there was no secure place where it could be plugged in. So telephone conversations had to be conducted over an open line. And, as you know, the Governor was obliged to speak, again over an open line, direct to No 10 about the Zhu Rongji visit.

It would be of considerable value in keeping in close touch with our Embassy in Peking over the difficult period ahead, as well as being important from a security point of view, if secure telephone links could be established in the very near future with Hong Kong and London. As far as Hong Kong is concerned, it would be valuable to link UK Rep JLG, William Ehrman, the Chief Secretary and Michael Sze into the system, as well as Government House.

I have discussed this with the Security Liaison officer here at Tamar, Eric Humphreys. He is pursuing the issue as a matter of urgency with his people in London and will come back to me with their response.

HKD 196/1

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