TNAG-2702-FCO40-3908-Memoirs-of-Sir-Percy-Cradock--diplomat-and-sinologist-1993 — Page 200

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REC

NISTRY

07. 1993

REGISTRY Action Taken

ÚT MON

CABINET OFFICE

70-Whitehall, London SW1A 2AS

22

Mr Racketts, HKD

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Vcc: PS/PU).

Legal Adviser Air Hum

Telephone 071-270 0101 Facsimile 071-270 0208

From the Secretary of the Cabinet and Head of the Home Civil Service Sir Robin Butler GCB CVO

Ref:

A093/2186

My dear David,

Percy Cradock's Memoirs

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PS/POS

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Marns

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De bu 16 July

2 July 1993

John Coles and I saw Percy Cradock today about his memoirs.

677

I opened along the lines of the speaking note attached to your letter (for which many thanks). I concluded by reading out para 48 of Radcliffe, (copy attached), emphasising the final point that, however disagreeable, Radcliffe tock the view that a former Minister or official should defer to the judgement of those currently exercising responsibility. John Coles supported this and added the point that the Chinese might well deduce from the publication of his memoirs that they could not rely on the confidentiality of the present negotiations, and this might damage their progress.

Percy Cradock argued with some heat that the passage to which we took most exception was his criticism of the early conduct of the Governor in relation to the future constitutional arrangements for Hong Kong, and these events took place after he had left official employment; that he had argued for negotiation with the Chinese, which was now taking place; and that his views were published and well known, and could not therefore be damaging. He also argued that "disclosures" relating to his time in Government, particularly on the airport negotiation, had all been reported in the press. John and I argued in reply that Percy was critical of proposals which still formed part of the Governor's position; that, whatever we had thought of his previous press articles, they had not required our approval in the way that the book did; and that an authoritative account in book form by someone directly involved in the airport negotiations had a different status from press reports. All in all, while we could not be sure that publication of Percy's book in early 1994 would be damaging to the negotiations, there was a risk that they might be, and that was why we had to ask him either to postpone a commitment to publication or to publish without the last two chapters.

Sir David Gillmore KCMG

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

/Percy asked what