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should result in a territorial dispute with China. If the
situ tion arose that the Portuguese were given only a few
hours to leave Macao, they would need to use all the transport
available, from Hong Kong as well as Macao, if they were to get
away. This was a humanitarian need.
Ma
Mr. Hohler said that he could not depart from the message
he had been instructed to convey to the Portuguese Arbassador on
this point. We would, however, consider his personal
The
representations on the question of transport facilities.
Ambassador said that he would convey Mr. Hohler's message to his
Government.
До The Ambassador said, gain speaking personally, that he had
found much difficulty in explaining to his Government why such
a simple request for help had taken so long for us to cnswer and
had been hedged about with a number of detailed conditions.
Mr. Hobler explained to him that there had been no reluctance
at all to help the Portuguese Governreat in this matter, but that
conditions in Britain differed somewhat from those in other
countries and that our practice was to try to work with our friends
in advance
!
to dispose of possible difficulties teeth.
Х
(E. Bollan)
18 Janu ry, 1967
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