CONFIDENTIAL
Background and Argument
4. It was envisaged in the guidelines covering
visits by U.S. warships and military personnel
to Hong Kong that an increase in the number of
naval vessels of up to 20 per cent over the 1964
level would be sufficiently unobtrusive not to
cause any problems for Hong Kong. The number
of visits in 1966 was in fact 391, which represented
an increase of 21 per cent over the 1964 figure.
The Governor has reported (Hong Kong telegram No.
426) that the number of visits so far this year
shows an increase over the 1966 level for the
same period, but he has also said that the
pattern of visits varies from month to month,
making comparisons over short periods somewhat
misleading • He is confident that, through his
own local liaison machinery with the Americans,
work
it will be possible tow out arrangements for
keeping the total number of visits for this year
at the same level as last.
5. The Chinese make it a practice to comment
unfavourably on the use of Hong Kong by U.S. naval
vessels and military personnel. They last
protested about naval visits in March, alleging
that the scale of British assistance to the
Americans had increased rather than diminished
since their previous protest in February 1966
(Peking telegram No. 311). The latest protest
appeared to be very much for the record and the
Governor of Hong Kong does not appear to think
that the rate of visits he proposes for this
year will lead to unacceptable difficulties with
the Chinese. There is therefore no good reason
why we should not agree that he should work out
details of such visits with the Americans in
Flag A
Flag B
80
Limiting the total number
дный
more
this
сусай
than the 1966 figure
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C
CONFIDENTIAL
/Hong