14/2
CONFIDENTIAL
(7)
Aus (POI)/724
Mr. Carter
20
Mr. Ross. After requstration, please
spente. Lose 14/2
8th February, 1967
Do you wish
EXERCISE CARICATURE
to follow
up or accest the portion
Me Cades.
this
sonath
Thank you for your letter of 3rd February about this exercise. As you know it was discussed at the Chiefs of Staff yesterday and the Chiefs of Staff decided to cancel the exercise though leaving open the possibility of some part of the forces concerned making a routine visit to Hong Kong.
2. I should, however, like to reply to your letter.
3.
You are quite right in saying that the exercise was raised at a Chiefs of Staff meeting on 10th January. It arose incidentally in the course of discussion. Briefly, the background is that at his briefing in the morning prior to the Chiefs of Staff discussion CGS decided that DCDSI should make an oral report to the Chiefs of Staff on his picture of the situation in China. In the course of the short discussion that followed CGS mentioned that Exercise Caricature was taking place and suggested that there might be some danger of it being misunderstood and even construed as provocative. The Chiefs of Staff therefore decided that CGS should discuss the situation with the Governor of Hong Kong and the Commander in Chief during the course of his visit to the Far East and it was understood that he would report the results back. There was, therefore, no question of the Foreign office or Commonwealth Office being excluded from the discussion. my people were naturally keeping a very close look on the situation but we felt we had to wait for CGS's return.
Moreover,
4. The general principle to which we work so far as exercises overseas are concerned is that there is an annual programme produced (of which you have a copy) but that clearance for each particular exercise, where this is necessary, is a matter for arrangements between the local Commander in Chief and the local representative of the political departments. I am sure this is right and any other course would cause a very large amount of work not only for us but also for you. Übviously, however, if either the Commander in Chief or the political representative on the spot
/are
Sir John Rennie, KCMG Foreign Office
។
24
CONFIDENTIAL
R.CEIVED IN
ARCHIVES No. 63 15TED/70/
:
ان