CYPHER/CAT A
PRIORITY NEW DELHI
TELEGRAM NUMBER 1289
CONFIDENTIAL.
CONFIDENTIAL
HW
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YOUR TELEGRAM NO. 373 TO BERNE.
704) BRITISH MISSION IN PEKING.
TO COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
26 JULY 1968.
MINISTER (POLITICAL) TODAY SAW MANJIT SINGH (DIRECTOR EAST ASIA DIVISION MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFIARS) AND
SPOKE AS INSTRUCTED, LEAVING BOUT DE PAPIER.
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2. MANJIT SINGH SHOWED HIMSELF WELL-INFORMED IN DETAIL OF PLIGHT OF OUR MISSION IN PEKING WITH WHICH HE SAID GOVERNMENT OF INDIA HAD GREAT SYMPATHY. HE WOULD ENSURE THAT OUR APPROACH WAS URGENTLY CONSIDERED. HIS INITIAL PERSONAL REACTION WAS THAT INDIAN INTERVENTION WOULD DO US' MORE HARM THAN GOOD. NOT ONLY WOULD IT CARRY NO WEIGHT WITH CHINESE WHO ALREADY REGARDED INDIA AS ''IMPERIALIST LACKEY': IT WOULD ALSO SERVE
AS IRRITANT TO THEM IN VIEW OF PRESENT STATE OF SINO-INDIAN RELATIONS 3. MINISTER REPLIED THAT, ON OTHER HAND, IT WAS IMPORTANT THAT CHINESE SHOULD BE MADE TO REALISE THAT THEIR CONDUCT HAD ATTRACTED PROFOUND DISAPPROVAL AND CONCERN OF MAJORITY IF NOT ALL COUNTRIES ACCREDITED TO PEKING. AND INDIANS HAD PARTICULARLY VALUABLE EXPERIENCE IN DEALING WITH CHINESE ON QUESTIONS OF THEIR DIPLOMATIC PRACTICE''.
4. MANJIT SINGH THOUGHT ANSWER MIGHT DEPEND ON WHAT OUR PRINCIPAL OBJECTIVE WAS. IF WE WANTED ABOVE ALL TO SECURE ''RELEASE' OF THOSE AT PRESENT ''DETAINED'' PERHAPS IT WOULD BE BEST FOR INITIAL REPRESENTATIONS TO BE MADE TO CHINESE BY THOSE COUNTRIES THAT STILL HAD SOME SORT OF LEVERAGE IN PEKING OR AT LEAST NOT BY THOSE WHOSE INTERVENTION MIGHT BE POSITIVELY COUNTERPRODUCTIVE. IF THIS DID NOT WORK, THEN AS A SECOND STAGE THERE MIGHT BE A MORE GENERAL INTERVENTION.
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RECEIVED IN ARCHIVES No. 63 29 JULI968
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