CONFIDENTIAL
17:
No
Cypher/Cat.A.
MANILA TO FOREIGN OFFICE
Telno. 10. 19 January, 1967.
CONFIDENTIAL
19 January.
Addressed to Foreign Office telegram No. 10 of
Repeated for information to Saigon, Hong Kong, Seoul and Polad Singapore.
Hong Kong telegram No. 70 to Commonwealth Office (not to all).
Rest and Recreation in Hong Kong for Philippine Troops in Viet Nam.
Since some United States Agencies in Viet Nam, acting presumably under instructions from the United States Armed Forces Command there, seems responsible for causing this embarrassing situation and once it appears that the Americans [2 grps. 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.
2. I fear that even if I inform Philippine Government of Hong Kong's refusal the Americans in Viet Nam 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.
3.
I do
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
The Philippine a few Filipinos who could be sent elsewhere. Government has always been most cooperative over British naval and air passages through or over Philippine territory, and this cooperation is important to Commander-in-Chief Far East. not wish to put it in jeopardy and therefore suggest direct approach to Americans over Filipinos in Viet Nam. been done I could explain to Ministry of Foreign Affairs that other arrangements were being made for Philippine troops in Viet Nam and question of their going to Hong Kong no longer arose.
Once that had
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BLF.
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CONFIDENTIAL
/ Foreign Office