336
CYPHER CAT A
CONFIDENTIAL
PRIORITY WASHINGTON REGISTRY !! TELEGRAM NUMBER 313 17 NOV 1969
RECE
CONFIDENTIAL.
EUTRAL.
340)
TO FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
14 NOVEMBER 1969
HKK6/004/1
1
ADDRESSED TO FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE TELEGRAM NUMBER
3136 OF 14 NOVEMBER REPEATED FOR INFORMATION TO UKMIS GENEVA
TOKYO OTTAWA HONG KONG AND SEOUL AND SAVING TO UKDEL CECD.
MY TEL NO 3122: TEXTILES,
· BILATERAL CONSULTATIONS BETWEEN THE U.S. AND JAPAN WILL BEGIN
IN GENEVA ON 17 NOVEMBER. THE AMERICANS WILL BE LED BY GREENWALD
HEAD OF THEIR 0.E.C.D. MISSION, AND WILL INCLUDE MAINLY SECOND- RANKING REPRESENTATIVES FROM STATE, COMMERCE, LABOR AND THE SPECIAL TRADE REPRESENTATIVE'S OFFICE. NEHMER WILL NOT BE THERE
INITIALLY FOR REASONS WHICH WE UNDERSTAND ARE NOT SIGNIFICANT. THE
MEETING IS EXPECTED TO LAST FOR MOST OF THE WEEK.
2. ACCORDING TO THE JAPANESE EMBASSY AND THEIR AMERICAN ADVISERS THE JAPANESE REGARD THE MAIN OBJECT AS BEING TO ARRANGE A MULTI- LATERAL MEETING AT A LATER DATE, THOUGH THEY ARE ALSO PREPARED TO DISCUSS SUBSTANTIVE QUESTIONS WITHOUT. PREJUDICE. THE STATE DE-ARTMENT ARE SAYING THAT THEY DO NOT MIND TALKING ABOUT A MULTILATERAL MEETING BUT INTEND TO PRESS FOR DISCUSSIONS OF SUBSTANTIVE SOLUTIONS. THEY DO NOT EXPECT THE MEETING TO BE
CONCLUSIVE.
1
3. THE JAPANESE HERE HAVE INDICATED IN PRIVATE THAT THEY HAVE DELIBERATELY ARRANGED THIS MEETING TO COINCIDE WITH THEIR PRIME
MINISTER'S VISIT TO WASHINGTON. THEY BELIEVE IT WILL HELP TO AVOID SUBSTANTIVE DISCUSSION OF TEXTILES IN HIS TALKS WITH PRESIDENT NIXON IF THEY ARE ABLE TO POINT TO SIMULTANEOUS TALKS IN GENEVA. THEY INDICATED THAT THEY ARE NOT PREPARED TO MAKE FINAL COMMITMENT ON MATTERS OF SUBSTANCE IN THE BILATERAL TALKS
IN GENEVA.
CONFIDENT IAL
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