CONFIDENTIAL
TOP
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CYPHER/CAT.A
HONG KONG
TO FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
19 SEPTEMBER, 1969
HONG KONG TELNO.M319 TO OTTAWA
CONFIDENTIAL
[NEUTRAL]
RC DVD IN REGISTRY No.51
26 SEP 1969
HKK4/204/1
акки
ADDRESSED OTTAWA AS MYTEL. NO. M319 OF 19TH SEPTEMBER RFI FCO
AND WASHINGTON (FOR HERMANN).
YOUR TELEGRAM 94: HONG KONG KNITWEAR EXPORTS TO USA.
IF YOU SEE NO OBJECTION, WE SHOULD BE GRATEFUL IF YOU WOULD GIVE GREY THE FOLLOWING ACCOUNT OF THE EPISODE WHICH IS PRESUMABLY
THE BASIS OF NEHMER'S REMARKS,
IT IS THE ONLY OCCASION ON WHICH
AMERICANS HAVE BROUGHT UP THE SUBJECT OF WOOLLEN SWEATERS.
2.
AT OUR MEETING WITH STANS IN MAY, WE TOLD HIM THAT, WHILE
WE WERE NOT PREPARED EITHER TO AGREE A LTA TYPE ARRANGEMENT FOR
OTHER TEXTILES OR TO NEGOTIATE A COMPREHENSIVE BILATERAL AGREEMENT TO RESTRICT EXPORTS OF THEM, WE WERE, AS ALWAYS PREPARED.
TO CONSULT WITH THEM ON PROBLEMS ARISING FROM OUR EXPORTS TO THEM
OF ANY PARTICULAR PRODUCT, WITH A VIEW TO EXPORT RESTRAINT SHOULD
WE BE SATISFIED THAT THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE CASE JUSTIFIED IT.
STANS THEN ASKED WHETHER WE WOULD BE PREPARED TO ENTER INTO
BILATERAL NEGOTIATIONS ON WOOLLEN TEXTILES. WE SAID THAT WE WERE
NOT IN A POSITION TO DO SO AT THIS MEETING (WHICH, IN ANY CASE, ACCORDING TO STANS WAS NOT AN OCCASION FOR NEGOTIATION) BUT WE WOULD BE WILLING TO ENTERING, WITHOUT COMMITMENT, INTO CONSULTATIONS
ON THE MATTER IF THEY REQUESTED US TO DO SO. NEHMER THEN GAVE
VERBALLY SOME STATISTICS ABOUT WOOLLEN KNITWEAR AND ASKED IN A RHETORICAL MANNER, IF WE AGREED THAT THEY WOULD JUSTIFY EXPORT RES- TRAINT. WE SAID THAT WE COULD NOT COMMIT OURSELVES TO AN OPINION WITHOUT AN OPPORTUNITY OF EXAMINING THE POSITION WITH THEM IN DETAIL
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