Mr. N. Smith
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Ś had not heard
This argument before.
Hong Kong's interest in Britain's joining
the European Economic Community
Mr. Philip Haddon-Cave of the Hong Kong
Government's Trade Department called on me at his
own request on 24 January.
2. In the course of a prolonged discussion on
various trade matters he asked why it was that in all
J
generates ention
the official statements by the British Government,
there was a reference to British agriculture and
New Zealand interests as being the only real problems
facing Britain's entry: there was no mention, of the
changes involved in British commercial policy
(e.g. the effect on Commonwealth Preferences or on
Britain's relatively liberal regime for the import
of cotton textiles). Mr. Haddon-Cave made it clear
that he was asking this question without
instructions from his Government and id not
necessarily expect a considered answer.
3. In reply I mentioned to him that I was, or
course, not in the Department that dealt with
Britain's entry into the E.E.C. As Mr. Haddon-Cave
would be aware, the British Government had said that
it would be necessary to safeguard Britains and the
Commonwealth's essential interests The Prime
Minister, however, among others, had made it clear
that it would be premature for Britain to disclose
what those interests were: it was bad tactics to
lay all one's cards on the table.
4. Mr. Haddon-Cave said that while he took the
point that the present stage of probes into Britain's
joining the E.E.C. might resem ble a poker game,
certain cards (namely British Agriculture and New
Zealand) had been mentioned as being in the hand:
did this not mean that there were no really other
/important
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