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v- .lESSAGE NO 5 FROM NO I 0 TO CHEQUERS TO PRIME MINISTER FROM NIGEL WICKS THURSDAY 2 JUNE 1977 PR i "-IE Ml NISTER WE HAVE RECEIVD THE LETTER BELOW FROM THE FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE IN WHICH DR OWEN SEEKS YOUR VIEW ON WHETHER HE SHOULD APPROACH MR HAROLD EVANS, EDITOR OF THE SUNDAY TIMES, TO TRY TO PERSUADE HIM TO WITHHOLD PUBLICATION OF THE STORY OF MR KYEMBA, FORMER MINISTER OF HEALTH IN UGANDA, WHICH IS DUE TO BE PUBLISHED NEXT SUNDAY, JUST BEFORE THE COMMONWEALTH HEADS OF GOVERNMENT MEET ING. THE FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE SUGGEST THAT WE MIGHT DELAY TAKING A DECISION ON THIS UNTIL WE HAVE HEARD ANY NIGERIAN REACTIONS TO THE TELEGRAM WHICH YOU HAVE JUST CLEARED. BUT I DOUBT WHETHER WE ARE LIKELY TO GET ANYTHING FROM THEM UNTIL SATURDAY AND THAT WOULD PROBABLY BE TOO LATE TO DELAY PUBLICATION OF THE SUNDAY TlMES STORY. TOM MCCAFFREY'S VIEW IS: (1) THERE IS NOTHING THAT THE BRITISH PEOPLE CAN BE TOLD ABOUT AMIN WHICH WILL MAKE THEM THINK ANY WROSE OF HIM. (2) PUBLICATION OF THE STORY MAY PROVIDE HIM WITH AN EXCUSE NOT TO COME. (3) THERE MIGHT BE TROUBLE WITH THE NIGERIANS, BUT TOM IS NOT IN A POSITION TO ASSESS THAT IN HIS VIEW THE ARGUMENTS ARE FAIRLY EVENLY BALANCED, BUT HE COMES DOWN ON THE SIDE OF NOT REPEAT NOT MAKING AN APPROACH TO MR EVANS. IF AN APPROACH WAS TO BE MADE, H THINKS THAT IT MIGHT 3E BETTER IF THE APPROACH WAS MADE PERHAPS EITHER BY YOU OR ON YOUR BEHALF EG BY MYSELF. HE ALSO THINKS THAT PROVIDED MR EVANS ''IAS GIVEN GOOD REASONS FOR DELAYING PUBLICATION A WEEK, HE MIGHT ACT RESPONSIBLY AND DO SO. DO YOU WANT DR OWEN TO TALK TO MR HAROLD EVANS?