Reference...
witt (18)
Mr. Carter
2.
Please see Mr. Keith's minute above below.
The three questions raised by Rounthwaite could all be answered by the formula "this can only be clarified by discussion and negotiation with the EEC ..." Indeed as HMG is apparently keeping all its options open this is the only statement we can accurately give Hong Kong at the moment. Rounthwaite's first question is, as Keith says, almost impossible to answer and I can find no better quotation than Mr. Brown's, Flag D; emphasis could perhaps be placed on the last sentence that Association is not an all or nothing situation.
3. The second question seems to be adequately covered by the quotation from Mr. Wilson's speech of 8 May, 1967. Keith has suggested part of the answer to question three, at Flag E, but more relevant perhaps is an extract from Mr. Crosland's speech in the House of Commons on 22 July. In announcing the Board of Trade's proposal to introduce a tariff on cotton textile imports he said "these decisions would of course be subject to any modifi- cations that might be required if we joined the EEC" .. this decision will not create a precedent for further departures from our traditional policy on Commonwealth trade in advance of any general change of system which might be required by our entry into the EEC". If Rounthwaite has not already been sent copies of the full text of Crosland's speech it might be as well to send him these.
(I. R Murray) 11 September, 1969
S
agree,
as to
The second and
Third questions.
2. On the first question, the answer
must
be a combination of the general formula
have dersed in your para 2
You
mention
1
at Flag D.
No. George Brown'
plus a
Brown's statement-
3. Pls prowed accordingly.
бога