OBITUARY: Francis Lara 1925-1991
LETTERS
Frqncis Lara, one of the FCC's earliest Presidents, died suddenly in Paris on December 20 last year aged 66. He joined Agence France Presse in 1946 when he was barely 20 years old and remained with AFP until his retirement in1986. He was Hong Kong bureau chief in the 1950's and was Washington correspondent throughout the 60's. He returned to Paris in 1973 where he was assigned to Redchef -- the group of duty editors who oversee AFP's global operations. In 19Bl he was named managing editor and deputy to AFP's then President Henri Pigeat. The French government recognised Lara's professionalism and services to France by appointing him an fficer of the Legion of Honour. Russell Spurr, an old colleague, recalls an initial milestone in Lara's highly successful career.
FRANCIS Lara and myself were the first foreign correspondents admitted to China after the revolution to cover a specific story. I was the underpaid and overworked representative in Asia of Lord Beaverbrook's London Daily Express "who the hell is this man Spurr?" the Beaver once exclaimed, and for a time my future was assured. Francis was Hong Kong bureau chief of Agence France Press which also made him responsible for attempting to cover events on the mainland. The story we were brought in to cover is nowadays of academic interest. The REAL story sure - the story I'm Beijing had originally in mind broke a few days later over our unsuspecting heads. The Chinese decided to launch a further attack upon the Kuomintang; not on its main refuge in Taiwan but against
the small garrison left to defend the inhospitable Tachen lslands that straggle offshore a short distance south of Shanghai. Air and naval units of the PLA began to pound the islands. Our respective news editors, way across the other side of the world, began to pound us. WHY UNNEWS QUERY The telegrams grew more and more in-
sistent. After all, our organisations had achieved a considerable coup getting us into China at all. Now the clouds of war were gathering - the Seventh Fleet was moving menacingly close to the Chinese coast - and not a word apart from the usual NCNA garbage was coming out of Beijing. Francis was one of the coolest characters I've ever known. He was witty, so-
28
phisticated, everything a Frenchman is supposed to be, with a marvellous command of English.
But were we correct? Had the PLA
"A language eminently suited to journalism," he would occasionally declare, adding, "which is more than one can say for English cooking." But as the rockets rolled in the tempers wore thin. The press department of the Chinese foreign office remained zip-lipped. The most mundane remark ("cold today, isn't it?") moved the official spokesman to advise that "your query will be referred to the meteorological office." The British charge d'affairs office was no more forthcoming. The only real news came courtesy of the BBC. The morning newscast from London revealed that the Tachens were being evacuated. At lunchtime our minder from
the Press Department took us to see a newsreel of an earlier assault on the smallest Tachen island. Troops were shown dedicating a banner to be raised on the highest peak in the Tachen chain. Back at our hotel the BBC was announcing that the KMT evacuation was complete. "Time to attack," said Francis. I agreed.
We grabbed our Olivettis, knocked
herogrammes came zipping back from London and Paris a few hours later.
on
completed its operation? Miraculously it had, as the BBC confirmed during the
evening. Next day Francis and
I met
Zhou Enlai at a diplomatic reception. He called us both over. "Nice story," he said. "Most descriptive. There was only one thing - you got that flag on the summit two hours ahead of our landing forces."
T.J. Aldeguer: 1900-1991 T.J. Aldeguer, or Tommy to all who knew him in Reuters, passed away peacefully at his home in Victoria, British Columbia, on December 1 0, 1 991 . He was 91 . An old China hand and an august presence atthe Foreign Correspondent's Club when it was housed at Conduit Road, he
was among a select group recruited by Reuters in Shanghai to cover China in turmoil. He was moved to the Hong Kong bureau following the Communist takeover of the mainland. ln the years that fol-
afternoon. Details we'd picked up from the news-
lowed, he filed occasional pieces but took on more and more administrative duties and many were the correspondents who had their pay cheques ducked by Tommy for questionable expensesl A keen soccer player in his Shanghai days, he was able to keep up his interest
reel and from the BBC supplied the requi-
in bridge in his retirement. He was,
site colour. "The litter of war lay across hastily abandoned fox holes ...." The
fact, in a bridge contest a week before his death.
wood for luck and filed a detailed story of
the final Chinese assault. lt had already gone in, we reckoned, and the flag raised, as we sat typing, around four o'clock that
THECORRESPONDENT FEBRUARY 1992
in
The Bear doing well THIS is a letter to all my friends at the Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents' Club as requested by Rabbi ll, Saul Lockart, when he visited me at G.F Strong Hospital last October. My best wishes for the New Year go to: Gary Coull and Vicky Wong, Bert and Phielle Woodward, Jim and Ailene Walker, Ken and Eilza (Petal) Mckenzie, Humphrey Hawkesley, Ray Lunney, Rick Borsuk, John Hardie, David Thurston, Brian Jeffries, Nancy Nash,
and events. Ted's memory is not 100% yet, but it still recalls a wealth of detail - which for him and I include working our way through the bars of Patpong on various occasions, a memorable bout in Klong Tuey and a hilarious time in the Los Anþeles airport. For
me, the change in the 18 months since I saw Ted, a near vegetable in a Bangkok hospital, was nothing shoñ of a miracle. Ted - | know I speak for everyone around
the FCC's Oval Bar when I say I look Dunfee with sons Sasha (left) and
forward to your promised visit.
Satori
Penny Byrne, Adrian Zecha, Murray
and Raymonde Bailey, Vivianne
Hui,
Kevin and Kit Sinclair, Russelland Zelda
Cawthorne, Saul Lockart, Simon Halley, Vijay Verghese, Mike Keats, Phillip
Bowring, Robert Woodrow, Peter Comarelli, Mike O'Neil, Ray Cranbourne,
Garry Marchand, Neil Farrin, Jake van der Kamp, Steve Fallen, Mike Rothchild, and anybody else I may have forgotten. I'm not trying to make excuses, but in
addition to my viral encephalitis, I also suffered a debilitating stroke on the left side of my brain. The result - I am left with a very poor short term memory, so I hope that any of you who I may have forgotten will not be offended. Anyway, have a very nice holiday, and I hope to see you all at the Club this
summer.
The Bear (Ted Dunfee), Canada
Absent Members AS an absent member I read The Correspondent with interest for its news of the Club's activities. I am pafiicularly interested in news of old
friends of my vintage (Hong Kong 19661981) such as Kevin Sinclair's piece on lan
Stewart in the last issue and gatherings of ex-Hong Kong FCC members in Australia. I am sure that other retired foreign correspondents, now absent members, share this interest and look forward to their copy of The Correspondent for this reason.
France
lN celebration of Earth
'
Day, Friends of the Earth willbe organising
a carnival. Jog for the Earth'92 kicks off at
join thousands of jog-
Ford and lwalked in Ted Dunfee's room
in the rehabilitation centre in October, he greeted me with a roar and a hug. Though wheelchair-bound, the Bear is much improved. He now has a com-
gathered that Saturday afternoon and it
CELBBRATION TOG FOR THE, EARTH
1 1 am on Friday 1 7 April (Easter Fr¡day). TV and radio personalities will
David Davis,
Saul Lockart writes: When Ashley
puter and his letter to the Club was written on it. The whole family was
EARTH DAY
Offer to Help EXCUSE the impudence, but don't you think you need a proofreader ?
was wonderful to see Ted's sparkling bright eyes radiating happiness as his two kids ran around the familiar con-
Peter Cordingley,
fines of his hospital room. lt was after Grandma and Grandpa Dunfee took them off for a mid-day feed that the three of us settled down to a long jocular
(Peter, thanks for the offer ..Ed)
gers with prizes for the bestteams and biggest fundraisers. There will be a range of activities including street exhibitions and a giant penguin, which friends of the Earth hope will create a truly festive and successful day.
Editor,
Sunday Morning Post Magazine
session reminiscing about people, places
THE CORRESPONDENT FEBRUARY 1992 29