102 CORY
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY No. 23 1 APRI9/0
RESTRICTED
TO FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
31 MARCH 1973.
1
RESTRICTED
Ec k
ADDRESSED TO FCO TELNO 187 OF 31 MARCH AND TO HONG KONG.
M.I.P.T. (MR. MC BAIN]
1 AM AFRAID THAT MEA RESPONSE WAS AS UNHELPFUL AS WE HAD
EXPECTED. CONSULAR DEPARTMENT'S QUESTIONS SHOW THEY ARE
ILL-INFORMED ABOUT THE WHOLE AFFAIR. I FEAR THAT WE MAY
HEAR NOTHING MORE ABOUT OUR ENQUIRY, ALTHOUGH WE ARE PREPARED
TO REMIND THEM, I BELIEVE THAT IT WOULD BE QUICKER IF FAMILY
NOW APPROACHED SHANGHAI OFFICE OF CHINA INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL
SERVICE. IT WOULD BE ADVISABLE TO PROVIDE THEM WITH AS FULL
A LIST OF THE PROPERTY AS POSSIBLE. WE SHOULD ALSO LIKE A
COPY IN CASE MFA REQUEST IT LATER.
MR. ALLAN
FILES:
CONS.D. F.E.D.
DDDDD
RESTRICTENT)
1
P
1
EN CLAIR
PEKING
NO 186
TO
FOPEIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
31 MARCH 1970
COFY
RECEIVED IN
REGISTRY No. 23
47
1 APR 1970
UNCLASSIFIED
ADDSD TO ROUTINE FCO TELNO. 186 31/3 AND TO HONG KONG.
[2316]
YOUR TEL NO. 101; MCBAIN'S PROPERTY.
WE HAVE BEEN APPLYING FOR INTERVIEW WITH MFA SINCE MARCH 9. CONSUL,
ACCOMPANIED BY GALSWORTHY, FINALLY SAW KUANG OF
CONSULAR DEPARTMENT AT 11.900 AM ON 26 MARCH.
2. CONSUL ASKED FOR MFA'S ADVICE ON PROCEDURE MCBAIN SHOULD ADOPT TO
HAVE HIS PROPERTY DESPATCHED. KUAN REPLIED THAT HE WAS UNCLEAR ABOUT THE
MATTER BUT HE UNDERTOOK TO ASK THE SHANGHAI AUTHORITIES, WHEN ASKED WHAT
PROPERTY WAS INVOLVED CONSUL REPLIED THAT IT CONSISTED OF CONTENTS OF
MACBAIN'S HOUSE INCLUDING, HE SUPPOSED, FURNITURE, BOOKS, CLOTHING AND
OTHER THINGS. KUANG ALSO ENQUIRED WHAT WAS MCBAIN'S WORK. CONSUL REPLIED
THAT HE WAS AGED 78 AND HAD BEEN RETIRED SOME YEARS BUT HAD PREVIOUSLY
WORKED FOR A NUMBER OF COMPANIES IN SHANGHAI. HE REQUESTED A REPLY AS
SOON AS POSSIBLE.
MR. ALLAN
FILES
CONSULAR DEPT.
F.E.D.
NNNNN
T
31/5
Dear Roberts,
L
!
:
FEC
Hrs. Connie Kurtin
Office of the British
Charge d'Affaires,
Peking.
10 March, 1970.
46
1. Mr. Danes Letter 16/3
to be despatched
Аф
17/10
2.M. A
Mr. Willingh
I am enclosing a copy of a letter which we have recored tofoc from group
194" of the Swedish Jection of Amnesty Intern.tium.1 asking for further
information about Ers. Connie Martin ho hus apparently been "adopted" by
then. The Swedish Embassy
have received a similar letter but are proposing to write that they are
leaving a substantive reply to us.
2. I asked the Swedes whether this "group 194" is ont/ ne of several
small ones or whether it represents the 3wedi Section per 92. They do
not know but incline to the vie. as we do, that it is only a small
group.
3. I enclose a reply which, providing you see no objection, you could
pass through our Embassy in Stockholm.
4. As to the general question of publicity etc. for British subjects
detained here, this is, I believe, something that the Charge will be
discussing during his forthcoming consultations in London.
5. I am copying this letter to Chancery at Stockholm and to Howells in
Hong Kong.
Your.
coel
Hus
(H. Ll. Davies)
3. tute
ора
PC 16/3
P.J. Roberta, Esq.,
Far Eastern Department,
Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
RESTRI XED
amnesty international
swedish section
British Astaway. Peking
tintilisha
Og nu a takder of the group 19% of the swediat asotaón nf Anretty
Teternatimaye Gur grond kan just adaptedˇw prisoner in. Bánh. That we
know
*s Zillowingi Ter name is Mra Constance Harry, enfim elitser i portion,
she so a widow and has lived in China, Shathat, for 45 years
dha a... ghzlével as moorstart to dancer of Thanhai vranab of Honorize
and bask until she was arrested. She 1 voi miɔne în Shanghai, with dir,
› ChiroNE CASTLE" And livat a quiet life and did take no interest at alt
politics. The okces to remain in China when the ossmeist governant save
te ****_* **19, and many Coralgn "esidents left the country, Du about 22
Cutokar nel '
Hartin
var arrested in Shanghai. He formal obarge hes na.far as we kout, bann
Pita Meu Martin in said to have been detained for en uráneclfing
fartuet. 'a mantenze and beer guaxed nad we think she is pragueably held
in pries
bra 14
the imbassy could help us to get further informations about
(* y*g* n*{nga ana ja malt, 17 ana bezalkaa tapan "l"59-883 s. *. đu 471
cozy asgar to get in contact with her sad to try je hele bør in MA, Cry
ko như cfønt tud er in the prison during the winter,
Tours vary sincerely
/Kajas Kerngren/
Bffice of the British
Charge d'affaire,
poking.
10 March, 1970.
Dear Mr. Herngren,
Thank you very much for your letter datemarked
27 February which has just reached us.
We are pleased that your group has adopted Mrs. Constance Martin, and we
very much hope that you will be able to stimulate interest in her case
both within ..mnesty International and within Sweden, We, for our part,
cannot understand what reasons the Chinese authorities have to detain
her.
The details about Mrs. Martin which you have given in your letter are
essentially correct. She is aged 72 or 7. Her arrest took place on 22
October 1969. You may like to know in addition that she was an extremely
charitable idy who devoted a great deal of time and income to aiding the
few remaining elderly foreign residents of Shanghai. One aspect of her
kindness also extended to animals; at home she kept seventeen cats which
had had to be abandoned in the past by other foreigners who had left
Shanghai.
As to the other questions which you raise in your paragraph I regret
that we ourselves have been unable to obtain information on these
matters from the Chinese authorities, We assume that Mrs. Martin is held
in a Shanghai prison or detention centre and as far as we know no trial
has taken place, but we have no facts to support these assumptions.
You may like to know that ever since Mrs. Martin wis arrested this
office and the Foreign and Commonwealth Offica in London have been
continually pressing the Chinese authorities for information about her
case and for Consular access to jr. The Chinese have refused both, as
they have in the cases of seventeen other British subjects detained in
China. This refusal to provide information or Consular access is of
course contrary to normal international codes of behaviour.
Mr. Kajsa Herngren, Amnesty International, Swedish Section,
Karlavägen 86,
S-115 22 8tockholm, Sweden.
(H. Ll. Davies)
Consul
F
CS. 41A
2600077
10,000-5/8-370149
Падвай Рин, бества о сайте
The
elearly
Older
for for as
CONFIDENTIAL
девету
sositive to visit of by merkers
SCR 1/1167/55
COLONIAL SECRETARIAT
PR.17/20
Aission in Rebing. They deal regard day Afr.? teitär Dear bolin to
debrief
debrief Betish Natisnold
de stat per in'
Stayhar
An Affley
Mr. William McBain E
·LOWER ALBERT ROAD
HÀNG HONG
7 March, 1970,
film 2/3.
We gave you some preliminary information about McBain in our telegrams
Nos. 103 of 14 February and 125 of 24 February. His nephew, George
McBain, sav him nearly every day in hospital and advised me to postpone
my visit in the hope that he would recover some of his memory. I
eventually made my first visit to him, accompanied by George McBain, on
6 March and stayed about 45 minutes.
2.
McBain seemed to be physically in not too bad a shape. He was mentally
alert and spoke coherently but was suffering from a bad memory. His
opening remarks vere that he was not well in the head and couldn't
properly remember a lot of what had happened to him. His account was
frequently interrupted by the remarks "I can't remember" or "I have
forgotten". He said that because of his bad memory he feared he might
mislead me unintentionally but would do his best.
3.
He said that he was arrested in the middle of the night on October 23
when he was asleep. He had had absolutely no varning or indication that
trouble was brewing (but see para. 6 below). He had been taken straight
to a jail and put in a cell in solitary confinement with wooden boards
for sleeping and a quilt. He had been interrogated and accused of being
a spy. He denied that he had ever spied. His interrogators asked him who
then had written to the British Mission in Peking informing them that
the former British Consulate-General's premises in Shanghai vere
occupied by soldiers. He replied that certainly he had not written that
or any other letter to the British Mission in Peking. They said that if
he was not a spy hov could he explain the fact that he had received an
0.B.E. There was another one with the same decoration who was also a spy
but they did not mention Mrs. Martin by name. This is all that McBain
can remember of his interrogation. He remembers being returned to his
cell and some time aftervards waking up in the prison hospital where he
was told by a kindly attendant that he had been vomiting blood and had
had so many transfusions that he had more Chinese than British blood.
But the attendant refused to tell him how long he had been in the
hospital, McBain vas transferred from the hospital to the train for
Canton, accommodated overnight in a hotel, always under escort, and the
next day pushed over the border at Lo Wu on a luggage trolley.
45
/contd....
C. Wilson, Esq.,
Far Eastern Department,
Foreign & Commonwealth Office,
LONDON, S.W.1.
CONFIDENTIAL
1-31/3..
Do
po.
CONFIDENTIAL
2
The whole period from his arrest on October 23 to his arrival in Hong
Kong on February 14 seems to be a relatively short incident in his
memory which took him hardly more than five minutes to tell.
4.
In reply to my questions he said that David Johnston was never mentioned
and he knev nothing more about that case. The same applies to van
Roosbroeck. So far as Mrs. Martin is concerned his interrogators made
only the one indirect reference to her, so far as he can remember, when
they referred to a second person who had received the 0.B.E. (in fact an
M.B.E.). He had reasoned from that statement that she must have been
arrested but he was not sure of that fact until he arrived in Hong Kong.
He imagines that Mrs. Martin may well have written a letter to the
British Mission in Peking in which she may have mentioned that soldiers
were in the premises of the former British Consulate-General. He said
that her office window overlooked the Consulate-General's compound.
He knew of no other activities on her part which might have explained
the Chinese suspicions that she was a spy.
5.
In reply to my questions he also said that the interrogators had asked
him about his meetings in Shanghai with i st"bbe members of the Peking
Mission staff. He had replied that a
short time before his arrest he had met Roger Garside. He told me that
it was he and not the interrogators who first mentioned Roger Garside's
name,
of the Faming Arte Censura's
just.
Високи
6.
He gave me the following explanation of the claim against Mollers. Some
relatively short time before his arrest, so far as he can remember, he
was told that the Customs had a claim of about 150,000 "dollars" (by
which I suppose he means Chinese currency). He had replied that he
couldn't do anything about that unless the claim vas put in writing and
some indication given of what part of the total vas supposed to be
customs dues and what part was a fine. When he received the
communication it was for a total of 1.5 million ("dollars"). He claims
that he had informed Mollers in Hong Kong of these claims but had had
George McBain tells me that Mollers here deny ever having received such
a communication from McBain. He then said that before his arrest he had
paid the Mollers staff their Noctober wages because he could see that
some trouble was brewing.
When I asked him what he meant by that he could only reply vaguely that
the Customs' demand for a large sum of money had stimulated these fears.
Mollers denied no reply!
with binil
7.
He says that so far as he remembers he signed nothing in China and was
not put through any procedure that could be regarded as a trial. George
McBain tells me that his passport bears the usual exit visa stamp with
two characters added in manuscript meaning that he was being deported.
/contd....
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
3
8.
McBain's explanation of the affair is that the Chinese probably had some
reason for suspecting Mrs. Martin of espionage which was quite
unjustified by our
He thinks she standards but had some substance for them. quite likely
did write a letter to someone in the Mission în Peking which the Chinese
authorities regarded as wrong. They might even regard the writing of any
letter to the Mission 'as wrong.
He thinks that he was arrested because he was associated with Mrs.
Martin, partly as they were both members of the Most Excellent Order of
the British Empire and partly because they often had a cup of tea
together or went for a drive in Shanghai. He thinks that once they had
him in jail they realised that he was not guilty of espionage and in
addition that he was a sick man who could easily die on their hands.
Unfortunately Mrs. Martin was strong and healthy for a woman of 72.
Mr.
9.
He hopes to leave hospital on about 9 March and to live in Hong Kong
with an old Shanghai Friend of his, Freddie Elias.
10.
I passed to him messages from Michael Wilford, John Denson and Peter
Hewitt for which he was most grateful.
I am sending a copy of this letter to John Denson and Peter Hewitt
(Canberra).
11.
You
ever
inther Mark's
(A.F. Maddocks)
CONFIDENTIAL
TELEPHONE
01-629 4385 (EXT.
TELEGRAPHIC ADDRESS
BONIFACE London.ICS.
TELEX NO. 685945
KAN DAN PATARKI TI
** T*
PLEASE MARK REPLY IN TOP LEFT CORNER.
Managers'
DEPT.
Dear MI.
The
Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporate
Enter.
CincorporATED IN HONG KONG WITH LIMITED LIABILITY)
Gracechurch Sreet London. 8.C..
R. EC.3
RECE
PR 23/10
Roberts,
I spoke to Mr.
we have received from Mr.
ان
TECHEN/A
19th March, 1970
Minnte, & draft lette
JW
to K4". Aitkenhead, to issue.
MR. 2872
Murray this morning regarding a letter
Arthur G. E. Taylor in connection with
the detention in Shanghai of Mrs. Constance Martin.
Mr. Taylor wishes to organise an appeal direct to the Chinese
Authorities and for your information I enclose a copy of his letter to
us. We felt that, before any action was taken by Mr. Taylor, this should
be cleared through the Foreign
Office and Mr. Murray confirmed that this was the appropriate
step.
I have spoken to Mr. Taylor on the telephone this morning and told him
that I would be forwarding to you a copy
of his letter to us. I have given him your telephone number and in due
course you may expect to receive a call from him.
In general terms, we feel that there is no harm in giving publicity to
Mrs. Martin's plight and if you feel that the steps proposed by Mr.
Taylor are in order we ourselves would
have no objection.
Yours sincerely
سكنية
(G.G. Aitkenhead) London Manager
P.J. Roberts, Esq.,
Foreign and Commonwealth Office,
Great George Street,
London, S.W.1
P.P.S. I have seen the article on p. 11 of the Sunday Express of 15
March 1970.
球
01-777 8656
hum 8711.
84 Nell Gwyn Court
Regency Walk
Orchard Way
01-606
8711
CROYDON, Surrey
CRO 7UZ
Accts
15 March 1970
The Manager
Hongkong & Shanghai Banking Corporation
9 Gracechurch Street ЕСЗ
Dear Sir,
Mrs. Constance MARTIN
H. & S. B. C. RECEIVED
CORRES
Detained in China
The Vicar of St. George's church, Shirley, Croydon, has, in the Church
magazine, drawn the attention of hia parish to the plight of Mrs.
Martin.
Resulting from this, is it proposed that some Shirley residents, in
their own names as orginary members of the British public, shall make an
appeal to the Chinese Government for the speedy trial, or failing this,
immediate release, of Mrs. Martin.
It is planned to do nothing which will in any way cause further harm or
distress to Mrs. Martin, or hinder her release. Also that this appeal
shall be entirely independent from any action by any other group working
in her interests.
Cuppeal
The aim will be, as near as possible, a direct a from people to people,
and not affiliated to any political faction, religious body, or any
other group of either left or right opinion.
We have received from Amnesty International certain information, but our
appeal will not be made either through or in the name of that excellent
organisation.
If there is any manner of approach which might bring further harm to
Mrs. Martin, or others, please warn us.
But we shall be pleased if you will kindly supply us with the name of
the Chinese Charge d'Affaires, and the names and addresses of any
Chinese official in Shanghai, Peking, or elswhere, to whom a respecftul,
cultured, but direct appeal might be made. The aim is to prevent any
letter or memorandum from us being consigned to a file or waste paper
basket without at least having been seen by the most senior person of
the department concerned.
Yours faithfully,
P.S. Is it possible to send
even just an addressed picture postcard
Arthur G. E. Taylor
to Mrs. Martin? If so, how is it addreked, please.
+
438
STRICTLY PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL
The Rt. Hon. Michael Stewart, M.P., Foreign and Commonwealth Office,
LONDON, S.W.1.
Ke 14/1
Dear Mr. Stewart,
Brambledown,
Melton Drive,
L
aud
Storrington,
Sussex.
16th March 1970
рок
2. FED 13 reply har
*A,113
This is a siling & offensive
+
letter. I have spoken on the
неверите
telephine to M. Kepple and
ному карка explained, not for the first time,
re Mrs. Constance Martin the remains why we do not
attempt
I wish to speak plainly, exercising my rights as of the electorate, and
this letter is to be treated as privileged.
ambar fo a member
This week-end I have spoken to other close relatives of Mrs. Martin and
in particular to one of her sisters aged 83. You do not appear to
appreciate the concern that exists for the welfare and safety of Connie
Martin, a loyal and well respected subject of the British Crown. I
enclose a photograph, which please return to me personally.
I am, myself, very disturbed to read in Lord Shepherd's letter to
Captain Kerby, my M.P., written at your request, that no action must be
construed by the Chinese to be the result of official initiatives. It
cannot really be solely that you feel, or felt, that such action might
prejudice the chance of an early release. You know, as well as I do,
that Mr. William McBain was released because he is a sick man. you
really want on your conscious the knowledge that had you brought more
pressure to bear on the Chinese you could have saved the lives of two
elderly Britons, because this could still be what you may have to face?
Do
مي
om. 25 13
I am compelled to query that this is really what you mean. Have we
reached such low depths that our own elected Government is no longer
prepared to take strong action regarding the individual security of
British Subjects overseas? Surely you do not want the impression to
prevail that its only when 'trade' or the 'political reputation' of a
Government is involved that any action is taken!
We have no news, any more than the relatives of the other British
Subjects detained, and what are you doing about it? 'Expressing grave
concern' and hoping for better relations!
If
We have £50M exports to China. Are these more important to the British
Government than the lives of ten or eleven British subjects? Could
politics have anything to do with your lack of personal action as the
Minister responsible? I know anything about the British people they
would, I am sure, rather see a little trade lost than the unnecessary
suffering of ten or eleven fellow citizens.
Continued...
2
Can this, still Great Country of ours not hold its head up high and say
to the Chinese Government
1
'Release our Subjects or we stop trading with
you. The balance of £17M. in the trading account is less important than
the lives of our Countrymen.'
Our trade with China is one way and, knowing something about the
Asiatics, I am sure they think we are weak. You will probably continue
to say that any action by the British Government may make the position
of those detained worse than now. We don't even know what the position
is! You say we must work for better relations with China. No-one in
their right minds would disagree with you. Nevertheless, send for the
Charge d'Affaire and ask him if Mrs. Constance Martin is alive and being
given adequate food and comfort compatable with her age;
say to him 'Are we to assume that she has
already died in Chinese hands?'
Presumably I shall receive another evasive and futile answer to this
letter but a sign of well-judged diplomatic courage would be a tonic not
only to those personally concerned, but also to the Nation after the
vacillation of recent years.
We cannot allow this matter to rest.
Yours sincerely,
Mardin Keppl
M. Kepple
From The Minister of State
Ес
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
London S.W.1
16 March, 1970
Michael Stewart has asked me to reply to your Letter of 24 February with
which you enclosed a lettur from your constituent, Mr. Jansen, about the
detention in China of his aunt, Krs. Constance Kortin.
We are still hoping that the release of Mr. McBain may be followed by
that of Mrs. Martin who was arrested at the same time. The Chinese have
never offered any reason for their detention. Both were long-standing
residents of Shanghai and knew each other well. It seems likely that Mr.
McBain's ill health - he was a semi-invalid When arrested may have
prompted the Chinese authorities to release him. We are probably correct
to conclude that Mrs. Martin's health must continue to be sound. Indeed
she has written from detention to the Manager of the Hong Kong and
Shanghai Bank about her personal all¡irs in a sensible and lucid tone.
-
You may certainly assure Mr. Jansen that we, for our part, will not be
relaxing the pressure we have been maintaining on the Chinese, on behalf
of Mrs. Artin. I myself took the Chinese Chargé d'Affaires severely to
/task
Peter Hordern, Esq., MP,
Houre of Commons.
4
IN CUIU IDENCE
43
L
task for his Government's inhumane behavior last December, and her case
has been frequently raised with the Chinese by our Mission in Peking,
the last occasion two weeks ago.
In the meantime one must agree with Mr. Jansen that press interest in
the British subjects detained by the Chinese has waned considerably
since the release of the Reuters correspondent, Mr. Grey. I can
sympathise with his disappointment. We continue to hope, however, that
wide publicity for the case of Mrs. Martin and those of the other
British subjects detained in China might conceivably bring home to the
Chinese the damage which their treatment of British subjects is doing to
their reputation with the public in this country, and hence might induce
the Chinese to release them.
I would agree moreover with Er. Jansen that if you, as a Member of
Parliament, could accompany him on a visit to the Chinese Mission,
possibly at the same time as Mr. Kepple (referred to in Mr. Jansen's
letter) and his Kumber, Captain Kirby, this would not only serve to
bring home to the Chinese the widespread concern in Parliament at their
treatment of Mrs. Liartin, but might also result in wider publicity for
the case in the press.
(SHEPHERD)
TH CARE THEN:CE
7
+
+
(114281) DE. 391399 1,300M 2/69 Hr.
NOTHING TO BE WRITTEN IN THIS MARGIN
Registry
DRAFT
No.
FEC 14/1
URITY CLASSIFICATION
To:-
IN CONFIDENCE
Letter
Type 1 +
From
Top Secret.
Secret.
Confidential, Restricted. Unclassified.
PRIVACY MARKING
Peter Hordern, Esq., M.P.,
HOUSE OF COMMONS,
Lord Shepherd
Telephone No. & Ext.
Department
12
LUNDON, S.W.1.
In Confidence
Michael Stewart has asked me to reply to your
letter of 24 February with which you enclosed a letter
from your constituent, Mr. Jansen, about the detention
in China of his aunt, Mire. Constance Martin.
We are still hoping that the release of Mr. McBain
may be followed by that of Mrs. Martin who was arrested
at the same time.. The Chinese have never offered any
reason for their detention. Both were long-standing
residents of Shanghai and knew each other well. It
seems likely that Mr. McBain's ill health he was a
semi-invalid when arrested
←
-
may have prompted the
No comments yet.
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