Mr. Combs
2
Interests of Dependent Territories
My
Mr. Preston's minute of 22 August. department is looking into this problem from the Hong Kong point of view but owing to the incidence of leave the results will not be available for e week or two.
2. I would, however, make the immediate point that the Board of Trade rely very much on Commercial Secretaries/Counsellors to provide them with information of the kind mentioned in paragraph 2 of Mr. Preston's minute and there would seem to be no reason why these officers should not be asked to perform a similar service either direct to a central point in the merged Office (from which it could be disseminated to dependent territories) or, in the case of the larger territories like Hong Kong, direct to the territory itself. It is my understanding that in the case of Hong Kong some posts already provide this service where they can spot the fact that Hong Kong's interests are affected.
3. We might explore the possibility of putting this practice on a regular basis by means of a circular to posts in Commonwealth and foreign countries.
26 August, 1968
Copies to :
(w. S. Carter)
Mr. M.P. Preston
Mr. J.C. Morgan
Mr. G.S. Whitehead (on return)