TNAG-2702-FCO40-3908-Memoirs-of-Sir-Percy-Cradock--diplomat-and-sinologist-1993 — Page 51

Peter

Rickets

Hong Kong Department

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

King Charles Street

London SW1

ے کے

303 Richmond Road

Twickenham

Middlesex TW1 2NP

13

「

گھٹا سے

Following our meeting with John Coles this morning, I enclose a revised text of the second part of the penultimate chapter of my book.

As you will see, it starts from page 14.

I have done my best to meet the various points made at the meeting. But I do not pretend that I have given you complete satisfaction. To take one of the main contentions, namely that there has been no change in policy over Hong Kong, I am afraid I cannût accept that. We shall be taking unilateral action in Hong Kong on Wednesday if the Governor is to be believed. That will be a major departure. We say that we still wish to cooperate with China; but we set terms for that cooperation that we know they will not accept. That

seems to me a contradiction. It is as if in 1983 we had insisted that

we must continue with British administration, but that we still

wanted to cooperate with China over the colony. We cannot have it both

ways. Even John, I think, conceded that there has been a new

'approach'. I shall not quarrel about the exact word; but I think it

is clear that things have greatly changed on our side since 1991. I make much of this question, since it crops up at a number of

points in the text.

Apart from that, you will see that I have avoided the reference

to 'progress' on page 14.

ז'

fear'

before

Further down that page, I have inserted

predicting the consequences of confrontation. On page 15, I have

added 'As I see it'. In the second paragraph on the page I have inserted 'almost certainly' and 'It seems only too likely'. This is to meet the complaint about ex cathedra prophecies and to underline that these are my personal views. Though, as I said at our meeting, it