Registry No.
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION
Top Secret.
Secret.
Confidential.
Restricted.
Unclassified.
PRIVACY MARKING
DRAFT
LETTER
To:-
D. J. C. Jones, Esq.,
Commerce & Industries
Dept.,
HONG KONG.
In Confidence
Type 1 +
From
Telephone No. & Ext.
Department
10/0
Copies to:
D.i. Dunnett-
R. Goldsmith
of T.
Mr. Ingram
D2H.A
Thank you for your very full report (your letter of 12 June) on your discussions
in Hong Kong with Ernst about EEC's common commercial policy.
These exchanges with Ernst were touched on
in discussions with David Jordan in the Board
Hannay, b.K. Deletion of Trade on 23 June (and also, Í understand, la ffc, Brussels.
in his discussions with Sir James Marjoribanks and Freddie Jackson in Brussels last week).
Jordan emphasised how useful it had been to feed in to the Commission by this means some basic facts about the French quotas on Hong Kong. It was generally agreed here that you
handled Ernst very well and that there was value
to be gained in maintaining this and such other informal contacts with EEC officials as you and
Bob Goldsmith have established in Geneva.
Sh
It was of course right of Hannay to see
declared
of seeking danger in Ernst's intention too, by informal
seek, contacts, "an agreed position that would not prove unfavourable to Hong Kong". But we are
all too old hands at the game to fall for that
one; and we here knew that, following the
well established precepts under which the con- duct of Hong Kong's commercial relations is
shared between us, you would not enter upon
these talks on other than an exploratory basis
and without commitment.
I am sending copies of this letter to Denzie Dunnett,
Bob Goldsmith and Ingram in the Board of Trade
and to Hannay in Brussels.
W(B)L 51-7433-
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