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1
WASHINGTON
PEKING
POLAD SINGAPORE
DEPARTMENTAL
FO: FED, Defence,
SEAD, NEWS
CO: HK, DEFENCE,
FE&P, NEWS
Min. of Defence: Defence Intel.
Your telegram No. 817: US Naval Visits. Now that
Since the visit of the Ticonderoga has laken place passed off without significant reaction from m
either Hong Kong or Peking we are in
Ow
+
besposition
to begin work on a review of naval visits with-
the Americans.
We agree generally with the
reasons given in your telegram No. 739 in favour
of a continuation of visits which in our view
should not exclude in principle large and
^
nucelar vessels. But we fully accept the point
made by Sir D. Hopson that as a result of last
Events
year's setback in Hong Kong we must expect the
Chinese to be more sensitive than before to Such
naval visits.
Whatever the extent of their
genuine fears about the presence of American
vessels or the difficulties which naval visits
arcunstarins
cause internally in the present position in (nok
Kayto China it is certain that the Chinese will use
of visits as a pretext for preventing any