CONFIDENTIAL
OUTWARD TELEGRAM
FROM THE COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (The Secretary of State)
TO HONG KONG (Sir D. Trench)
Cypher
Sent 19th January 1967.
23.00 hrs.
CONFIDENTIAL No.129
23
Following telegram of 19th January from Manila addressed to Foreign Office No.10 repeated for information to Saigon, Hong Kong No.3, Seoul and POLAD Singapore.
Begins.
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Hong Kong telegram No.70 to Commonwealth Office
(not to all).
Rest and Recreation in Hong Kong for Philippine
troops in Vietnam.
Since some United States agencies in Vietnam, acting presumably under instructions from the United States Armed Forces Command there, seem responsible for causing this embarrassing situation and once it appears that the Americans (gps. undec.) have not consulted any British authority (either in Saigon or Hong Kong) I suggest that the Americans be told in confidence in Saigon of the genuine problem posed for Hong Kong and asked not to include any Filipinos in their rest and recreation trips to Hong Kong.
20
I fear that even if I inform Philippine Government of Hong Kong's refusal the Americans in Vietnam may ignore this warning and cause even greater embarrassment both to us here and to the Hong Kong authorities by sending Filipinos to Hong Kong without clearance from us.
30 The Americans, if approached directly would I should have thought not wish to incur the risk of having their own rest and recreation facilities endangered in Hong Kong for the sake of a few Filipinos who could be sent elsewhere. The Philippine Government has always been most co-operative over British naval and air passages through or over Philippine territory and this co-operation is important to Commander-in- Chief Far East. I do not wish to put it in jeopardy and therefore suggest direct approach to Americans over Filipinos in Vietnam. Once that had been done I could explain to M.F.A. that other arrangements were being made for Philippine troops in Vietnam and question of their going to Hong Kong no longer
arose.
Ends.
CONFIDENTIAL