vs File (197
CYPHER/CAT,A.
PRIORITY WASHINGTON
TELEGRAM NUMBER 2118
CONFIDENTIAL
NEUTRAL
CONFIDENTIAL
TO FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
DATED 25 JULY 1969
ADDRESSED TO FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE TELEGRAM NUMBER 2118
OF 25 JULY 1969 REPEATED FOR INFORMATION TO HONG KONG, UKMIS
GENEVA, UKDEL BRUSSELS, TOKYO, SEOUL, OTTAWA.
(F.C.O., GENEVA AND BRUSSELS PLEASE COPY TO HONG KONG OFFICES.) HONG KONG TELEGRAM NO. 27 (NOT TO ALL):
U.S. TEXTILE POLICY.
THOUGH WE CANNOT OBTAIN OFFICIAL CONFIRMATION WE ARE RELIABLY
INFORMED THAT BEFORE HIS DEPARTURE ON 22 JULY PRESIDENT NIXON GAVE
SECRETARY OF COMMERCE STANS A FAIRLY IMPRECISE QUOTE OFF-THE-CUFF
GUIDELINE UNQUOTE FOR THE FORTHCOMING MINISTERIAL TALKS IN JAPAN AND PRESUMABLY FOR GENERAL USE AS APPROPRIATE. THE NEW INSTRUCTION IS ALLEGEDLY TO SEEK AN ACCOMMODATION WITH ASIAN COUNTRIES ONLY.
WHETHER A MULTILATERAL OR SEPARATE BILATERAL AGREEMENTS WILL BE
SOUGHT IS NOT KNOWN SEMI COLON PROBABLY NO DECISION HAS BEEN MADE
ON THIS POINT. WE ARE HOWEVER FAIRLY CLEAR THAT, WHILE THE PRES- IDENT SEEMS CONTENT FOR STANS TO HAVE ANOTHER GO, HE HAS NOT REPEAT NOT ENDORSED THE EXTRENE LINE ADVOCATED BY STANS.
*
2. SOURCE STATED, AND THIS FITS IN WITH GUARDED COMMENTS BY OUR OFFICIAL CONTACTS, THAT THE LINE TO BE FOLLOWED BY STANS IN TOKYO DEPARTS SLIGHTLY FROM THE ALL FIBRE ALL PRODUCT APPROACH, BUT IS STILL STRONGLY OPPOSED BY STATE DEPARTMENT AND QUOTE GIL-
BERT OFFICE UNQUOTE AND EXPECTED BY THEM TO BE TOTALLY UNACCEPT-
ABLE TO ASIAN GOVERNMENTS.
3. THERE IS CERTAINLY NO PLAN TO VISIT OTHER COUNTRIES THAN JAPAN AT THE MOMENT, THOUGH A SUDDEN DECISION TO DO SO CAN NEVER BE RULED OUT. MOST PROBABLY A DECISION ON WHETHER AND WHEN TO APPROACH OTHER COUNTIRES WILL DEPEND ON RECEPTION OF THE NEW
/APPROACH
--RECEIVED IN REGISTRY No.51 28 JUL 1969
HKIL6/204/1
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