TNAG-2702-FCO40-3908-Memoirs-of-Sir-Percy-Cradock--diplomat-and-sinologist-1993 — Page 206

CONFIDENTIAL

SIR P CRADOCK'S CALL ON THE CABINET SECRETARY AND SIR J COLES:

2 JULY 1993

Line to Take

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Grateful to you for setting out your views so fully in your

letter of 8 June. Note that you do not accept our contention

that pages 198 - 219 of your manuscript could be damaging to our position in our current negotiations with the Chinese.

But we

still have serious concerns: wanted to explain these to you

more fully.

We are not seeking to prevent you from making public your

views. You have already made them abundantly clear in newspaper

and television interviews. But we see an important difference

between that and the detailed account in your manuscript of

confidential negotiations conducted in the recent past when you

held a very senior and sensitive post, on issues which are still

under discussion with the Chinese side.

The real danger we see is that the Chinese side will assume,

despite the fact that you no longer hold an official post, that you represent a strand of thinking within the Government, that our counsels are divided, and that if they hold out they will

extract concessions from us. Whatever you or we say they may

well believe that as recent foreign policy adviser to the

Prime Minister you have means of bringing your influence to

bear.

cradock. JM, JRB

CONFIDENTIAL