DEPARTMENTAL DISTRIBUTION
F.0.
C.0.
F.E.D.
DEFENCE DEPT.
P.U.S.D.
J.I.R.D.
O.L.A.
Newa Dept.
H.K.D.
I. & G.D.
News Dept.
F.E. & P.D.
EEEEE
RESTRICTED
CONFIDENTIAL
C.
Vat.A
PRIORITY HONG KONG ΤΟ
Telno. 453
تنا
RECEIVED IN
Pr EnjARCHIVES N. 31
1YAPR 1968
COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
9 April 1968
FD13%8
86
14/4
CONFIDENTIAL
Addressed Commonwealth Office telegram No. 453 of 9 April. Repeated for
information to Peking.
Ky telegram No, 425: Prison Visits.
Visits took place at Stanley this morning as arranged. 13 prisoners were
visited as two more Wen Wei Pao labourers were released on 5 April on
completion of sentence. Two female journalists will be visited tomorrow
at Laichikok prison.
2.
Some of the prisoners had visits lasting up to 30 minutes. Length of
visits totalled 6 hours 20 minutes in all. No photography or gifts were
allowed. and a prison official was present. Assistant Political Adviser
supervised entry. No difficulties arose.
3. KCKA agreed to repect confidential nature of talks, but will probably
publicise actual visits. Our line with the Press will be:-
(a) Visits were arranged at the discretion of the Commissioner of
Prisons.
(b) Arrangements were co-ordinated with the people concerned through our
normal chancels.
(c) If question of connexion with Grey case is raised we are saying
simply that case was not considered here; but that visits reflected
improved atmosphere in Sino-Hong Kong relations which government is
naturally anxious to promote.
Commonwealth Office pass Priority Peking 165.
Sir D. Trench
¡Repetition to Peking referred for
Departmental decision]
DEPARTMENTAL DISTRIBUTION
C.0.
H.K.D.
F.E.P.D.
News Dept.
F.C. F.E.D.
Defence Dept.
P.U.S.D.
Consular Dept.
P.C.D.
J.I.R.D.
News Dept.
CONFIDENTIAL
ORIA. Copy
on Fu
F43/8167
Cypher/Cat.A
PRIORITY PEKING TO
Telno. 218
CONFIDENTIAL
FOREIGN OFFICE
19 March 1968
RECEIVED IN ARCHIVES No.31
19 MAR 1968
FD1378
85
CONFIDENTIAL
Addressed to Hong Kong telegram No. 153 of 19 March. Repeated for
information to Foreign Office,
Visits.
Your telegram No. 333 to Commonwealth Office: Prison
It is possible' that NCNA are insisting on members of P.A.'s office
being present during the prison visits, in order that Chinese can claim
the right to attend any interview we may get with Grey.
From our point of view therefore there would be advantage in resisting
NCNA on this though we would not wish to press the point if it makes
things awkward for you.
2.
The length of time for which the Chinese permit us to see Grey is likely
to be related directly to the amount of time you allow prison visitors.
Foreign Office pass Hong Kong 153.
Sir D. Hopson
[Repeated as requested)
DEPARIMENTAL DISTRIBUTION
F.0.
F.E.D. News Dept.
C.0.
H.K.. Dept.
I. & G.D. S.A.D.
News Dept.
SSSSS
CONFIDENTIAL
E
oria.copy
copy
Cypher/Cat. A
H
ON PDU!
(310
also an
159
RECEIVED IN ARCHIVES NĚ.317
- 4 MAR 1968
(84)
CONFIDENTIAL
+ 40%
ED 1318
MEDIATE PEKING TO FOREIGN OFFICE
Telno 153
CONFIDENTIAL
1 March, 1968
Addressed to Foreign Office telegram No. 153 of 1 March, Repeated for
information to Hong Kong
·
My immediately preceding telegram.
After discussing prison visits I raised with Hsueh our porposal to swap
Hsueh P'ing for Grey. I reminded him that this proposal had now been
made on an official basis and asked if he had had any reply for me. He
said he had noted our proposal, but today he had no news.
F.0. pass immediate Hong Kong 100.
Sir D. Hopson
[Repeated as requested]
!
ADVANCE COPIES SENT
DEPARTMENTAL DISTRIBUTION
F.0.
F.E.D.
Consular Dept.
P.C.D.
D.D. & P.U.S.D.
J.I.R.D.
News Dept.
D.S.A.0. Personnel Dept.
0.0.
H.K.D. News Dept.
:
O.L.A.
i
"
CONFIDENTIAL
·
1
H
1
I
!
I
L
S/CAT A
Brua. Coryon FD1 / 1300
CONFIDENTIAL.
IATE COMMONWEALTH OFFICE ΤΟ TONG KONG
F
346
28 FEBRUARY 1968 (F.E.D.)
83
۱۰
RECEN TO IN ARCHIV: - No.31
29 FEB No68
FD13/8
(
W
C
K
S
F
C
با
K
L
A
f
CENTIAL.
LED TO HONG KONG TELEGRAM NO 346 OF 28 FEBRUARY REPEATED FOR
AT
TO PEKING.
FOLEGRAM NO 241: PRISCH VISITO.
TIPT THE COURSE OF ACTION IN PARAGRAPHS 5 AND 6 OF YOUR TEL E36/7
*EFERENCE SUBJECT TO THE MODIFICATIONS:
·BSTITUTION IN PARAGRAPH 5 OF AN ADDITIONAL VISIT' FOR ECIAL VISIT TO
EACH INDIVIDUAL. (THIS WOULD ALSO INVOLVE TAN ION OF THE WORDS AS A
SPECIAL CONCESSION'' AND CONSEQUENTIAL EATS N THE SECOND SENTENCE OF
PARAGRAPH 1(A) OF OUR TELEGRAM
·
LETION IN PARAGRAPH 6 OF THE WORDS AFTER AGREEMENT ON THE
2 IN PEKING*'. SINCE WE ATTACH IMPORTANCE TO RESTRICTING THE
TO BONA FIDE JOURNALISTS, WE DO NOT SEE HOW IT WOULD BE LE TO GET
AGREEMENT ON NUMBERS IN PEKING BEFORE YOU HAVE FRED A LIST OF NAMES IN
HONG KONG. WE AGREE WITH YOU
MUST NOT GIVE THE CHINESE IN PEKING THE IMPRESSION THAT - FREFARED TO
ALLOW VISITS TO AN UNLIMITED NUMBER (PARAGRAPH
OUR TELEGRAM UNDER REFERENCE) BUT WE WOULD HOPE THAT THIS IS
HAVING THE CHARGE D'AFFAIRES IN PEKING STRESS THAT THE - CONCERNED MUST
BE BONA FIDE JOURNALISTS.
A PARAGRAPH 1
REGOING TAKES CARE OF YOUR POINTS (THE) AND (V). WE ENTIRELY
THAT YOUR POINTS (HI), (IV) AND (VI) ARE MATTERS FOR YOUR 'STRATIVE
DECISION IN THE LIGHT OF CIRCUMSTANCES AS THEY
P.
R PARAGRAPH 2.
THE FORCE OF YOUR ARGUMENTS ABOUT THE RISKS OF SUBSTANTIVE >SION IN HONG
KONG. HOWEVER CONDITIONS (1) TO (1V) IN
APH 5 OF YOUR TELEGRAM NO 212 WOULD NOW BE MADE IN PEKING THE MODIFIED
APPROACH IN PARAGRAPH 1 ABOVE, AND YOU HAVE
THAT CONDITION (V) NEED NOT BE MADE SPECIFICALLY. THE ONLY
- LOW LEFT OPEN, WHICH MIGHT HAVE TO BE HANDLED IN HONG KONG,
CONFIDENTTAL
/(A)
L
יו
P
CONFIDENTIAL
+
1
I
L
J
-
ww2
) THE POSSIBILITY OF VISITS BY NONA ALONE. (IF THE CHINESE ASK
DONALD HOPSON WHETHER VISITS BY MCNA ALONE ARE TO BE ALLOWED, HE ULD AT
THIS STAGE CONFIME HIMSELF TO SAYING THAT HIS INSTRUCTIONS E THAT AN
NCNA REPRESENTATIVE WILL BE ALLOWED TO ACCOMPANY
E EMPLOYER IN EACH CASE. IF THE CHINESE CONTINUE TO PRESS THIS INT, WE
WOULD THEN CONSIDER WITH YOU AND DECIDE WHETHER IT WAS TTER HANDLED IN
PEKING OR HONG KONG).:
@) THE BONA FIDES OF NAMES ON THE CHINESE LIST
AND A DECISION
'
THIS MUST IN THE FINAL INSTANCE REST WITH YOU IN HONG KONG. YOUR
PARAGRAPH 4.
FULLY SHARE YOUR WISH TO MINIMISE THE PROPAGANDA OPPORTUNITIES
→ THE CHINESE, AND WE HOPE THAT THE SUBSTITUTION PROPOSED IN RAGRAPH
1(A) ABOVE HELPS TO MEET YOUR POINT,
AS THIS HAS BECOME SO INVOLVED, M.I.F.T. SETS OUT THE PLAN OF TION FOR
HOPSON IN TELEGRAM NO 324 REVISED IN ACCORDANCE WITH
IS TELEGRAM, HOPSON IS BEING INSTRUCTED TO APPROACH THE CHINESE
SOON AS YOU HAVE CONFIRMED THAT YOU HAVE NO OBJECTION TO THE
MAGES.
23EC
·
PARTKENTAL DISTRIBUTION
.0. F.E.D.
0. HONG KONG DEPT..
S.A.D.
CONFIDENTIAL
+
"
CONFIDENTIAL
ORE.
Copy w
西
Ir. Samúel
on
349
82
RECEIVED
יil
ARCHIVES N. 31.
28 FEB 10683
LOCESS TO COLUNIST PRISONERS IN HONG KONG
DO MR. GREY
FD13/8
Froblem
The Governor has suggested some modifications to our
proposals about how the matter of access to prisoners should
be handled in Hong Kong and Peking; but he also takes the
opportunity to repeat his warning that the concessions and
arrangements may run us into dangerous repercussions in Hong
Kong. His suggestions involve a rather more precise statement
in Peking of the conditions under which we are prepared to
allow visits to prisoners in Hong Kong, but they do not radically
alter the substance of our approach. The Chargé d'Affaires in
Feking has proposed one modification
and ourselves
-
-
acceptable to the Governor
and has pressed for early instructions. The crux
of the matter remains whether the importance we attach to
obtaining access to Kr. Grey justifies the risks involved in
the concessions we would be making to the Chinese over access
to prisoners in Hong Kong-
Recommendation
2.
I recommend that
(a) we accept the Governor's proposed modifications,
particularly since they seem to go some way towards
reducing the risks in Hong Kong to which he has
drawn attention;
(b) subject to the Governor's final concurrence, we now
instruct Sir Donald Hopson to take action with the
/Chinaan.
COMETRUTTAT:
+
CONFIDENTIAL
2
F1:
Chinese.
I attach draft telegrams to Hong Kong and Peking. Commonwealth
office have already concurred.
Background and Argument
3. The background is set out in my submission of 22 February.
Our proposals, on which the Governor has now commented, are
Flag., I, in C.0. telegrams 323, 324 and 325 to Hong Kong.
F1:
Fla J
J
4. The Governor has from the start been most reluctant to
allow N.C.N.A. access to non-N.C.N.A. Journalists in prison.
He has, however, already accepted (as he acknowledges in
paragraph 1 of his telegram No. 241) that access to Mr. Gray
is a compelling reason for special treatment of the latter
category. The points at issue in telegram No. 241 are therefore
not of principle (though he takes the occasion to remind us
strongly that he conceded the issue of principle only reluctantly),
but a matter of tactics. The Governor has from the outset been
anxious that we should spell out in detail to the Chinese in Peking the
conditions under which we were prepared to allow
visits. Eis concern was that if we did not do so and there
were subsequently difficulties over detail in Hong Kong, we
would be charged by the Chinese with bad faith. Sir Donald
Hopson has thought that detailed points were better dealt with
in Hong Kong (paragraph of Peking telegram No. 133). Pre-
sumably he has been concerned lest the whole exercise might
founder on an argument over detail in Peking. For reasons set
out in paragraph 3 of Commonwealth Office telegram No. 325,
the Commonwealth Office and ourselves decided on balance that
/it
CONFIDENTIAT
H
L
L
4
Fla
CONFIDENTIAL
-3-
L
it would be better that discussion of detailed arrangements
should take place in Hong Kong. However the arguments advanced
in paragraph 2 of Hong Kong telegram No. 241 about the risks
of substantive discussion in Hong Kong are impressive.
I
think therefore that we should be prepared to meet the Governor
over this; in particular I think he is right in stressing that
we should avoid entering into any commitment with the Chinese
about more than a single visit to each prisoner until we have
achieved the quid pro quo in respect of kr. Grey.
5. The Governor's proposals meet the only point of substance
which Sir D. Hopson raised (in Peking telegram No. 147) on
our original proposals. I sent a personal message to Sir D.
Hopson that we would get instructions to him as soon as possible,
but that they could not arrive in time for action on 27 February •
6.
The risks which the proposed concessions and arrangements
involve are discussed in paragraph 9 of my submission of
22 February, to which I have nothing to add. In view of the importance
of obtaining access to Mr. Gray, I think it is right to accept them. As
I see it, the purpose of the Governor in his latest telegram has not
been to call in question the decision
that the and Sir D. Hopson of principle, but to remind us
difficulties he has been making are not merely obstructiveness
on his part.
-ies to:
-
Jun Murray.
(James Murray)
27 February, 1968
Incussed with the ledgers who appare
ER
·
Sir D. Allen
diefer bls.
Vr. Carter
ASIETUMUTÉÁL,
+
P
28 Ft.
ني
+
OMG Copy
ON!
FC_13/2
Sir D. Allen
CONFIDENTIAL
RECEIVED IN ARCHIVES No.31
28 FEB 1968
81
FD13/8
ACCESS TO DR. GREY AND COMMUNIST PRISONERS IN
HONG KONG
Problem
The Chinese have indicated that they may be prepared to
grant access to Mr. Grey if representatives of the New China News Agency
(N.C.N.A.) in Hong Kong are allowed to make formal
visits to
(a) two imprisoned N.C.N.A. journalists and
(b) a number of "other patriotic journalists" in
prison in Hong Kong.
The Governor has always been prepared to grant the first, but fears that
agreement to the second would create precedents for N.C.N.A. to act in a
quasi-consular role and would also dis- originate unfairly between
different categories of prisoners.
Recommendation
2.
I recommend that
(a) N.C.N.A. should be allowed to make a special visit
to the two N.C.N.A. journalists;
(b) the employers of other journalists should be allowed
to make special visits accompanied by a representa- tive of N.C.N.A.,
and that N.C.N.A. should be allowed to stand in for the employer if the
latter is
unavailable;
(c) approaches to the Chinese should be made in such a
way that the minimum is conceded towards a quasi-
consular status for N.C.N.A.
ÖCÜFIDENTIAL
/I
I
!
CONFIDENTAL
2
+
I attach draft telegrams to Peking and Hong Kong. A parallel
submission is being made in the Commonwealth Office.
Background and Argument
る。 There are two.N.C.N.A. journalists in prison in Hong
Kong together with at least twelve other communist journalists.
It is not, however, absolutely clear how many people the
Chinese consider to be in the category of "patriotic journalisty"
(Hong Kong telegram No. 185). In common with other prisoners these
people all receive visits once a month from relatives or friends, and
the N.C.N.A. journalists have already been visited by representatives of
their organisation in the guise of friends. 4. Despite these regular
visits the Chinese have since July, 1967, insisted that official visits
should be allowed to the
N.C.N.A. journalists and since December, 1967, that official visits by
N.C.N.A. in Hong Kong should be allowed to the "patriotic journalists"
as well. They have used the failure to agree to such official visits as
an excuse for not granting
access to Mr. Grey.
5. On 22 December the N.C.N.A. in Hong Kong demanded that official
visits should be allowed to the N.C.N.A. and "patriotic journalists" and
prisoners from other communist organisations (Hong Kong telegram No.
1908). They also demanded that they should be allowed to bring food and
clothing to the prisoners.
These visits were to be made at the time of Chinese New Year
(30 January) and the communist press began a campaign of propaganda
about ill-treatment of prisoners with the clear*
/intention
1
CONFIDENTIAL,
F
14
CONFIDENTIAL
-3-
intention of using the visits as part of their propaganda
barrage. The Governor said that Hong Kong's prison rules
only allowed visits on the application of the prisoners them-
selves, that clothing could only be left for a prisoner on
release and that extra food for prisoners could not be allowed (Hong
Kong telegram No. 1908). When these points were put to
the Chinese in Peking on 31 December they said that the reply
was unsatisfactory. In particular, they said they could not agree that
applications for visits must come from the prisoners themselves. They
added that, if their demands were met, "they
might consider allowing the British Office to send personnel
to visit Hr. Gray "(Peking telegram No. 1).
6. On 28 January the Chinese made a further approach and
said in effect that, if official visits by N.C.N.A. were allowed
to N.C.N.A. and other "patriotic journalists", they could
"consider arrangements for an official British visit to Mr. Grey"
(Peking telegram No. 84). Sir Donald Hopeon took this to mean that a
visit to Hr. Grey would in the event be arranged, although this was by
no means certain since the Chinese could have reverted to their third
demand (visits to other "patriotic"
prisoners) before allowing access to him. The Governor agreed to allow
visits to the N.C.N.A. journalists but not to the others (Hong Kong
telegram No. 132); the N.C.N.A. did not take up the suggestion about how
such visits might be made and the
matter was dropped.
7. The Governor (whom we asked to reconsider the matter) has
now put forward suggestions which go some way towards meeting
/the
•
·
+
1
CONFIDENTIAL.
1
1
I
CONFIDENTIAL
4
the Chinese demands (Hong Kong telegram No. 212). He is prepared, albeit
with reluctance, to agree that, besides official visits to N.C.N.A.
journalists, official visits should also be allowed by their employers
to other "patriotic journalists". He is prepared to hint that
representatives of N.C.N.A. could accompany the employers. He is,
however, under- standably anxious that the N.C.N.A. should not arrogate
to itself a quasi-consular status in demanding right of access to a wide
range of prisoners. The fear that N.C.N.A. may build itself into an
alternative focus of loyalty in Hong Kong is long-standing and
well-founded.
8. As Sir D. Hopson has potated out (Peking telegram No. 133) the
Governor's suggestions go only part of the way towards meeting the
Chinese demanda and I agree with him in thinking that, put in this form,
they would almost certainly fail to secure our prime objective: access
to Mr. Grey. He has recommended strongly that we should meet the Chinese
on all
J
their points and believe that, if we do so, we have a very
good chance of succeeding.
9. I am not myself fully convinced that the Chinese will not produce
further "demands" before agreeing to access to Nr. Grej,
Access to but I think it is very important that we test then. Kr. Grey
is an urgent necessity and at the very worst, if the move fails, we
shall at least know that the Chinese are not seriously interested in a
reasonable quid pro que for visits. There are, however, dangers in
agreeing to the Chinese demande
Besides the obvious une of which Kinisters should be aware.
/02
+
7
•
I
}
COHETDENTIAL
L
CONFIDENTIAL
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.