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PRIORITY WASHINGTON TO FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
PRIORITY WASHINGTON TELEGRAM NO. 97 TO HONG KONG
CONFIDENTIAL
FROM HERNANN.
[NEUTRAL]'
13)
YOUR TELEGRAM 121: TEXTILE CONSULTATIONS.
16 DECEMBER 1968
PLEASE CLARIFY URGENTLY PENDING FIGURE 333571 IN YOUR
PARAGRAPH 5. DOES THIS MEAN EXPORT AUTHORIZATIONS FOR ANOTHER
150,000 APPROX HAVE BEEN APPLIED FOR SINCE YOUR TELEGRAM 118?
IT WOULD PE HELPFUL TO KNOW DATES AND FIGURES OF ALL NOTI-
FICATIONS TO CONSULATE GENERAL.
2. I WILL TRY FOR 750,000 BUT AM AFRAID IT IS UNREALISTIC
FOR FOLLOWING REASON, ALARM OVER GLOVES WAS CAUSED BY SUDDEN...
RISE IN IMPORTS FROM 668,000 IN 1966/57 CAND SEVERAL FAIRLY
LEVEL YEARS BEFORE THAT) TO 1,100,000 IN 1967/68. AMERICANS
OBVIOUSLY HOPE BY ACTION AGAINST TAIWAN TO REDUCE TOTAL
TO SAY 900,000 IN 1968/69. THEY COULD HARDLY ALLOCATE 80
PER CENT OF THIS TO HONG KONG. NOR WOULD IT MAKE SENSE TO INDUS-
TRY TO TAKE REMEDIAL ACTION AGAINST TAIWAN AND THEN NULLIFY
IT BY AGREEING TO LARGE-SCALE SWITCHING OF ORDERS TO HONG
KONG.
3. POSITION WOULD OF COURSE, BE DIFFERENT IF U.S. INDUSTRY
IS HAVING SIMILAR BOOM. I WILL PROBE INTO THIS BUT DOUBT
IF ANY RECENT FIGURES ARE AVAILABLE.
4. EVEN IF AMERICANS ARE SYMPATHETIC ABOUT DRESS GLOVES
THEY WILL FIND IT DIFFICULT IN PRACTICE TO OPERATE A SEPERATE
SUB-CATEGORY AS CUSTOMS TARIFF MAKES NO DISTINCTION. CAN
YOU SUGGEST A WAY ROUND THIS?
FCO PSE PASS
SIR P. DEAN
LAST
REF.
NEXI
REF.
RECEIVED IN
[REPEATED AS REQUESTARCHIVES No.31
INTERNATIONAL TRADE DISTRIBUTION
HONG KONG DEPT.
CONFIDENTIAL
X
1 8DEC 1968
HK/L6/204/1