I am sending a copy of this letter to James Hurray in Far Zastern
Department.
.liott,
(1. CRADOCK)
Hong Kong.
RESTRICTED
CYPHER/CAT A
FDY/1
CONFIDENTIAL
IMMEDIATE COMMONWEALTH OFFICE TO HONG KONG
ELNO 558
27 MARCH, 1968 (F)
O COPY
RECEIVED IN ARCHIVES No 31
2. HAR68
CONFIDENTIAL.
ADDRESSED TO HONG KONG TELEGRAM NUMBER 558 OF 27 MARCH REPEATED FOR
INFORMATION TO PEKING. 328 * x 14 288
PEKING TELEGRAMS NOS. 239 AND 240: PRISON VISITS.
SINCE THERE DOES SEEM TO HAVE BEEN GENUINE MISUNDERSTANDING TI ABOUT
EXACT MEANING OF QUOTE JOURNALISTS UNQUOTE (THE POSSIBILITY OF WHICH YOU
NOTED IN YOUR TELEGRAM NUMBER 366), WE THINK THAT, UNLESS YOU SEE
OBJECTION, TALKS WITH N.C.N.A. MIGHT PROCEED ON THE BASIS THAT THEIR
LIST OF 21 PRISONERS IS ACCEPTED. THIS MIGHT BE FOLLOWED AFTER SUITABLE
SHOW OF HESITATION BY COMPROMISE ON THREE VISITORS TO EACH PRISONER.
2. WE ARE NEVERTHELESS ANXIOUS NOT TO COMPROMISE ON POINT THAT CATEGORY
OF PRISONERS ELIGIBLE FOR SPECIAL VISITS IS A MATTER OF PRINCIPLE TO BE
DECIDED IN PEKING. SUBJECT TO YOUR AND HOPSON'S VIEWS, WE SUGGEST
THEREFORE THAT, SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH (IF NOT PRIOR TO) RESUMPTION OF YOUR
TALKS WITH N.C.N.A., HOPSON SHOULD INFORM CHINESE OF DECISION TO ACCEPT
THEIR INTERPRETATION ON THIS POINT, REPRESENTING IT ON LINES INDICATED
IN PARAGRAPH 2(D) OF PEKING TELEGRAM NUMBER 240.r
CROSEC
بیان
DEPARTMENTAL DISTRIBUTION
F.0.
C.O.
F.E.D. CONSULAR DEPT. P.C.D.
F
D.D. & P.U.S.D. NEWS DEPT. J.I.R.D. O.L.A.
H.K.D. NEWS DEPT.
CONFIDENTIAL
NOTHING TO BE WRITTEN IN THIS MARGIN
Registry No.
DEPARTMENT
FDY/I
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION PRIORITY MARKINGS
Top Secree "Secret
Confidential -Restricted
Unclasified
En Clait Code Cypher
Emergency?" Immediare Priorley, Restina
Security classification
[Sec
any
{Codeword-fany].....
(Date)
* Date and time (G.M.T.) telegram should
reach addressce(s)
27/3 Desparched 248.
‒‒‒‒‒AN AJAAN ·
ER
CONFIDENTIAL
Draft Telegram to:-
Addressed to
Hong Kong 558.
telegram No..
...(date)........
HONG KONG
55.8 2713
No.
(Date)
And to:--
And to....
repeated for information to... Peking
-- IL
חודי-זי- --- -
27 handi
Repeat to:-
PEKIN
Saving to:--
295
Distribution:-
Departmental
(As for Peking
tela. no9. 239 and 240)
Copies to:---
Saving 10.
-++++
Peking telegrams nos. 239 and 240 : Prison
Visits.
Since there does seem to have been genuine
misunderstanding about exact meaning of
"journalists" (the possibility of which you noted
in your telegram No. 366), we think that, unless
you see objection, talks with N.C.N.A. might
proceed on the basis that their list of 21
prisoners is accepted.
This might be followed
after suitable show of hesitation by compromise
on three visitors to each prisoner.
2. We are nevertheless anxious not to compromise
on point that category of prisoners eligible for
special visits is a matter of principle to be
decided in Peking. Subject to your and Hopson's
views, we suggest therefore that, simultaneously
with (if not prior to) resumption of your talks
with N.C.N.A., Hopson should inform Chinese of
decision to accept their interpretation on this
point, representing it on lines indicated in 3 paragraph 2(d) of Peking
telegram No. 240.
Flag B
Departmental Da"/".
dist.
IMMEDIATE CUTITIT
CYPHER/CAT A
INNEDIATE HONG KONG
TELEGRAM HUMBER 363 .
+
RECEIVED IN ARCHIVES No.31
2
28 MAR 1968
FDY1
:
अचा
ADVANCE COMES
F.O.
P.S.
P.U.S.
R.O
Sie Dr Allen M Hall
Miwaka
Hd E.Ed..
• Crussalas 104 at News
TO COMMONWEALTH OFF ICE
22 MARCH 1968
P. U, S.
Six I. Jchuiton
Hd. H.K.D.
News Deh
-t
P
CONFIDENT VAL
ADDRESSED CO TELEGRAM NO. 363 OF 22ND MARCH REPEATED PEKING.
+
; I; Flag I
MY TELEGRAM NO. 357: PRISON VISITS.
Guertaken by or Re
Flag K
A FURTHER MIETING WAS HELD WITH NONA ON MARCH 21ST. POLITICAL
ADVISER PUT FORWARD A PROGRAMME CWORKED OUT IN ACCORDANCE
WITH THE POINTS MADE IN PEKING ON THE LINES OF PARAT (CA) OF YOUR
TELEGRAM NO. 3479 FOR VISITS EARLY NEXT WEEK TO 14 OF THE PRISONERS. HE
POINTED OUT THAT OF CHINESE LIST OF 22 ONE
HAD ALREADY GEEN RELEASED SEMICOLON 5 WERE LABOURERS · CEMPLOYED
BY WEN VEI PAOD AND 2 CAGED 17 AND 14) WERE NEWSPAPER SELLERS ONLY. NONE
OF THESE WERE BONA FIDE JOURNALISTS AND THEY WERE
THEREFORE INELIGIBLE FOR VISITS UNDER THE PEKING PROPOSALS.
·
2. NONA CONCEDE THE IMPORTANT POINT THAT VISITS SHOULD BE TO
INDIVIDUALS, NOT GROUPS BUT THEY SAID THAT THE PROGRAMME WAS
GROUPS 30
-
UNACCEPTABLE BECAUSE
(A) THEY CONSIDERED THE NUMBER OF VISITORS SHOULD BE FOUR
NOT TWO. (THEY POINTED OUT THAT THREE PEOPLE MIGHT GO ON NORMAL.
VISITS TO PRISONERS).
(D) THEIR INSTRUCTIONS WERE THAT ALL "PATRIOTIC NEWSPAPER EMPLOYEES'
VERE ELIGIBLE FOR VISITS.
IN ADDITION, THEY REPEATED (THOUGH WITHOUT MUCH ARGUMENT) THEIR DEMAND
(Q> TO BE ALLOWED TO BRING IN THE WORKS OF NAO AS GIFTS
TO MIBONERS.
2. POLÍTIONE ADVISER SAID THAT HE WOULD HAVE TO REPORT THE
MZ IGUANA, CANLANIN (IV), ALOVE MISHE BASJA, FARTA OF
4
+
349
-
MJI
3. POLITICAL ADVISER SAID THAT HE WOULD HAVE TO REPORT THE
SICATIO!!
SILLATION BACK. POINTS CA) AND (B) ABOVE WERE BASIC PARTS OF
THE PROPOSAL MADE IN PEKING AND WE HAD NO AUTHORITY TO DEPART
FROM THEM IN HONG KONG. ON POINT (C) WE WERE NOT PREPARED TO
GIVE WAY
4. ONLY A FEW OTHER MINOR POINTS ARE OUTSTANDING. NONA REPRESENT-
ATIVES'RE REASONABLE AND SEEMED ANXIOUS TO SETTLE QUICKLY
WITHO
FEEL,
"BATHER REFERENCE TO MTA, HOWEVER, THEY WILL NO DOUBT
ED TO REPORT BACK TO PEKING, AS THERE WAS OBVIOUS
DISAG. INT BETWEEN OUR TWO VIEWS OF WHAT CONSTITUTED
144
DETAI TO BE SETTLED HERE, AS WELL AS WHAT HAD ALREADY BEEN
SETTLED IN PEKING.
+
FO PLEASE PASS IMMEDIATE PEKING
KEHYTEL
MÝTEL 124.
GOVERNOR
SENT AT 22/05592 MARCH
RECD AT 22/06002 MARCH
1
•
J
+
Sir D. Mlen
CONFIDENT LAL
RECEIVED IN ARCHIVES No.31
2 8 MAR 1968
FDI1
340
Flags A, B
PRISON VISITS
Peking telegrama noa. 239 and 240 reporting a meeting
Fe 3/3 (287) between the Chargé d'Affaires and an official of the
Chinese
+298 Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicate that there has been a
misunderstanding about the categories of prisoners to be included
as "patriotic journalists" in the context of additional prison
visits in Hong Kong. N.C.N.A. in Hong Kong had presented a
list of 21 persons which, beside the 2 N.C.N.A. correspondents
and 12 journaliste, included 5 labourers and 2 newspaper sellers
employed by a communist newspaper in Hong Kong (Hong Kong
Flag C/ telegram No. 363). The Chinese argue that the term translated
as "journalist" in fact means literally in Chinese "newspaper
workers", We should therefore agree to grant additional visits
to all the 21 persons listed. The Chinese have also supported
a request of N.C.N.A. in Hong Kong for the number of visitors
to each prisoner to be no less than three, not two as we had
proposed. We have to decide whether to agree to what the
Chinese ask.
Recommendation
2. I recommend that subject to the views of the Governor of
Hong Kong, we agree that visite should be allowed to all the persons
listed by N.C.N.A. and that three visitors be allowed
to each prisoner. I submit a draft telegram on these lines
drafted by the Commonwealth Office.
CONFIDENTIAL
/Background
CONFIDENTIAL
- 2
Background
Flag CO Politi
Flag D
3. After protracted exchanges in Peking we agreed that
additional visits would be granted to the 2 N.C.N.A. corres- pondents
and an unspecified number of "patriotic journalista"
in prison on the understanding that access would be granted
to Mr. Grey, the Reuters correspondent. Agreement in principle
having been reached, it was left that the detailed arrangements,
including the submission of the list of prisoners,would be
handled by N.C.N.A. in Hong Kong. At the meeting with the
Political Adviser on 21 March (Hong Kong telegram No. 363),
the N.C.N.A. produced a list of 22 prisoners. One had already
been released and the remainder contained the names of five
labourers employed by the Wen Wei Pao and two newspaper sellers.
We considered that these seven did not fall within the category
of bona fide journalists to whom we had agreed visits might be
granted, although the N.C.N.A. argued the phrase had been "patriotic
newspaper employees" not "journalists". They also
raised the question of the number of visitors to each prisoner
asking that it should be four and not two as we had stipulated.
4. The Chargé d'Affaires was instructed (Foreign Office
telegram No. 283) to raise these points in Peking, pointing
For 13/2ut that in the case of categories of prisoners the N.C.N.A.
Flag A
appeared to be diverging in principle from what had already
been agreed between him and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Sir D.
Hopson reports (Peking telegram No. 239) that the Deputy Director for
Western Europe at the Chinese Ministry of Foreign
Affairs supported the N.C.N.A. claim that all 21 prisoners
/should
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
- 3-
should be allowed visits because the Chinese words consistently
used for "journalists" literally meant "newspaper workers" as
the N.C.N.A. said. The Deputy Director also supported the
N.C.N.A. demand that more than two visitors be allowed on each
occasion, pointing out that in the case of normal visits three
were allowed. He concluded by saying that the number should
in any case be "no less than three".
Argument
5. It seems that there has been a genuine misunderstanding
as the Chinese words can only be translated as "newspaper
workers" or "newspaper employees".
The misunderstanding
apparently arose as a result of the English translation by the Chinese
interpreters in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
in Peking. In view of the importance of defining the category
accurately, it is surprising the discrepancy was not picked up
by one of our Chinese speakers. But I think we must accept
that the Chinese are acting in good faith. Since they seem
anxious to settle the matter and it is equally in our interest
to gain access to Mr. Grey as soon as possible, I think we
should agree to visita to all 21 persons. As Sir D. Hopson
points out, the degree of discrimination in favour of a certain group of
political prisoners will be no greater if we include
the extra seven.
6. As regards the number of visitors, itis correct that
three are allowed for routine visits. The Governor of Hong
Kong has already agreed that if the Chinese press we can
/accept
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
-
4
accept three. There therefore seems no reason to hold out
for two. To concede four as the N.C.N.A. aak would I think
be wrong in principle as it would be bowing to pressure on
a point which cannot be of prime importance to N.C.N.A.
Moreover the Chinese in Peking seem disposed to accept three.
Humaya Jauns Manag
(James Murray) 27 March, 1968
Copy to Mr. Carter, C.0.
AL Mn Mushing
Lénk's
І
agree
28/3
sa"
28 Maande
3
CONFIDENTIAL
Ed (4206)
Reference
H. Sharland
KE VED IN ARVES No.31
27 MAR 1968
FD1/1
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response to a request from ou
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25.3.68
Amendment's gund
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+
Spay
Ching/Bong Kong
Draft Note for the Minister of State for his address to the Comsomrealth
Parliamentary Association on Thursday, 29 March, 1968 on the subject
"World Security Problema"
There is little doubt that the disturbances in Hong Kong last year vere
There is an overspill of the revolutionary ferment on the Chinese
mainland,
no evidence to show that they were in any way instigated by the Chinese
the latest
Government in Peking, although thay subsequently gave strong propaganda
encouragement and certain financial assistance to their supporters in
the
colony.
2.
1
The change of taches comes with the warming revolut my im
enversam on the Maratons and the TEASSam
A randiņa, dimin mered had virtually abandoned dolen By the end of the
year, the communlets had virtually abandoned violence
in their confrontation with the Hong Kong authorities although isolated
contramed for some the time after last selis incidents involving
violence #9422-devufiyat, cand are heath to recur. j
I this forum factor and
the efficiency with which the 3.
There noens Ittle doubt that apart from the afficiandy with which the
• mayal
A
This
Hong Kong Government dealt with the disturbances, the faoton/which led
to
this change in commentet Tactica vas the reaction of the general public
in the colony to the use of violence by the trouble unkers. There was
overwhelming public support for the maamires adopted by the authorities
to
deal with the situation and when the communists resorted to terrorista
tactics this served only to antagonise public opinion still further.
general reaction appears to have come as a surprise to the local
communist leaders. They had perhaps forgotten that a very substantial
proportion of the people of Hong Kong consistdof refugees from the
communist regime in China who had "voted with their feet" for the way of
life with which Hong
Kong could provide them.
The econogy of Hong Kong has shown quite remarkable resilience in the
face of the Afficulties which confronted the golony during the last &
right months of 1967. It has offered certain set backu as a result of
the
disturbances but its final trade figures for last year speak for
themselves. Hong Kong's imports, domestic exports and re-exports for
1967 all showed increases over the corresponding figures for 1966. In
the case of domestic exports the increase was 17%, a Figure which
represents the highest growth
/rate
rate since 1961,
5.
Exjaciatio
But the abandonment of violence does not mean that the communists
have ceased their campaign of confrontation in Hong Kong. The iáležíhout
in the Ca
is that their efforts to undermine the authoritige/will continue
unabated. These efforts however will probably take the form of a long
term idealogical struggle for the "bearte and winde" of the people of
the Colony. 6. It may be thought that the recent decision by Her
Majesty's Government
to withdraw their military presence from the Far East by the end of 1971
But there is no vill cause the comunista to redouble their efforts.
intention of reducing the strength of the Hong Kong garrison and with
our
withdrawal from Singapore steps will be taken to ensure that the
effectiveness
of the garrison remains unimpaired.
7. It has already been publicly stated that the Hong Kong Government
vill
contáme to take such measures as may be necessary to maintain peace,
order
and good government. In so doing they will continue to have the full
support
and assistance of Berkajesty's Government.
M Shagam
Draft Suppleambar Notes for the Minister of State for his Address to the
Commonwealth Parliamentaar Association on Thursday, 29 March, 1968. on
the subject of "World Security Problems".
Chinn/Hong Kong
A
What will happen to Hong Kong when the lease of the
How Territories expires in 1997î
It is quite impossible to envisage what situation
will obtain in thirty years' time and it would be
a ranh man who would attempt to do so. Meanwhile,
H.N.G. have every intention of maintaining their
position and authority in the Colony, and vill
continue to give the Hong Kong Government all
possible support for any measures that they may
consilar necessary to achieve that object.
This
CS
the other half
Q.
What would happen if China were to launch a
military attack on Hong Kong?
A.
That is a hypothetical question to which there is
you
the notes that I sent
this morning
J5
63.
Chinese action....
bithello havies mŸ that then hame
no point in replying at this stage. In fact,
balor
there is no reason to suppose that China
will have any intention of launching such an attack.
It is the desire of the Hong Kong Government and of
Her Majesty's Government to live on friendly termG
with China and we shall continue to work to that
and.
Q.
Are the Hong Kong Government taking any measures to
give the ordinary people of the Colony more
opportunity of participating in the conduct of the
affairs of the Colony?
/A.
A. Yes. Normal constitutional progress towards
A.
Mand
self-government is not possible in the particular
circumstances of Hong Kong; nor are the people
asking for it. But the Government are exploring
waya and means of giving them a bigger say in the
affairs of Government and of ensuring that the
views of the ordinary nan are made known to those
in authority. One possible way of doing this is
through the medium of local government; another
possible means is the recently inaugurated system
of dity Mistrict Officers in urban areas about
which a statement vas sade in Parliament on
12 March by the Parliamentary Under Secretary of
State for Commonwealth Affairs.
Is it not the case that the low vage rates and
poor living conditions of the masses in Rong Kong
represent a security hazard which demands early
action?
The disturbances in Hong Kong last year were in no
way the result of such conditions, But it is
accepted that there is room for improvement in the
whe
sphere of labour relations in Hong Kong and steps
are being taken to remedy the situation.
Hong Kong Labour Commissioner announced on
14 February a liberal programs of labour
legislation: action has already been taken to
strengthen the staff of the Labour Department an
and legislation was
Generally
recently introduced to reduce, over a period of
time, the maximum permitted working hours for
women and young persona in industry,
speaking the Hong Kong authorities are fully
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.