Classification
CONFIDENTIAL
OUT TELEGRAM (CONT)
DEDIP
Caveat
Precedence IMMEDIATE
Disclosures injurious to this country's retations-with-other
くくくく
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nations.
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- Information destructive of the confidential relationships on
5 which our system of government is based.
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Lord Wakeham's
Committee agreed that the Cabinet Secretary should focus
7 particularly on material affecting Ministers and officials still
in office.
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As regards the first two categories above, the Cabinet
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Secretary's duty is to have the manuscript examined and to transmit any objections to the author.
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The author has a right of
reference to the Prime Minister but should accept the latter's decision as final. On the confidential relationships category, the Cabinet Secretary has a duty to offer views, but
responsibility rests on the shoulders of the author to decide what he is going to say.
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3.
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The Department and Mr Hum have now considered Sir P Cradock's
It is manuscript, titled QUOTE Experiences of China UNQUOTE. very largely a memoir in traditional format recording Sir P
It includes a long Cradock's experiences in China from 1962.
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section on the negotiation with China of the Joint Declaration. This would be the fullest published account by an insider. there is already much material in the public domain on this
t subject, particularly in the recent book by Robert Cotrell.
We do not believe that Sir P Cradock's account is accurate.
But
We
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think there is a strong case to be made against publication on
case the grounds that this would be injurious to our relations with
China.
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Problems arise in the final chapters of the manuscript, where
He gives an account Sir P Cradock brings the story up to date.
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of his negotiations with the Chinese over democracy in 1989/early
For distribution order see Page
Printed in the UK for HMSO 1/91 D₫ FC03276 M 100 CCN 56294
1990
Catchword:
STOCK No. C037C
YF87
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