TNAG-2702-FCO40-3908-Memoirs-of-Sir-Percy-Cradock--diplomat-and-sinologist-1993 — Page 241

4

PERSONAL AND CONFIDENTIAL

(SIR PERCY CRADOCK'S MEMOIRS)

1.

I wanted to read

I apologise for delaying this. the draft memoirs myself before commenting.

2.

I agree in general with the proposed advice to the Cabinet Secretary.

3.

But I think the letter to Sir Robin Butler needs to be clearer in two respects. First, we should make it plain that the suggested approach to Sir Percy Cradock would not be founded on the Radcliffe restriction on "disclosures injurious to this country's relations with other nations" but on the more general political ground that the memoirs could be injurious to our continuing negotiations with the Chinese. The fact is that it is not easy to point to "disclosures" which would injure our relations with China.

4.

Secondly, Sir Percy may be pretty resistant to the request that he should excise material or defer publication on this general political ground. He is likely to ask how his account could have the injurious effect described. The main point, to my mind, is that strong public criticism of the Governor's proposals by someone of Sir Percy's standing, recently departed from a very senior post, could weaken our position in the negotiations by leading the Chinese to think that there are divided views in the British Government; that HMG's support for the proposals is less than firm and that if pressure is maintained HMG will withdraw that support. regards the airport negotiations, the publication of details of exchanges with the Chinese, including the fact of a message from the Prime Minister, could be detrimental to Chinese trust in our willingness to pursue further negotiations on the airport in confidence.

5.

I have expanded the draft letter to the Cabinet Secretary to cover these points.

the lobes.

As

21 May 1993

Sir John Coles

PERSONAL AND CONFIDENTIAL