CYPHER/CAT A
CONFIDENTIAL
PRIORITY UK MISSION GENEVA TO FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
TELEGRAM NUMBER 599
31 OCTOBER 1969.
CONFIDENTIAL
NEUTRAL
ADDRESSED TO F C O TELEGRAM NUMBER 599 OF 31 OCTOBER R FI
HONG KONG WASHINGTON TOKYO SEOUL.
US TEXTILE POLICY.
MEMBERS OF MY STAFF HAVE DISCUSSED THE LATEST POSITION ON
NON-COTTON TEXTILES WITH KOREAN REPRESENTATIVES HERE. THEY
HAD NOT YET HEARD OF ANY FORMAL APPROACH FROM THE AMERICANS.
NEHMER HAD TALKED BRIEFLY ABOUT THE PROBLEM TO VICE-MINISTER
LEE WHO LED THE KOREAN DELEGATION TO THE COTTON TEXTILES
COMMITTEE BUT NOTHING SUBSTANTIVE WAS SAID.
2. GENERALLY THE KOREAN VIEW SEEMS TO BE IN LINE WITH OUR OWN.
THEY AGREE THAT THE AMERICAN ECONOMIC CASE IS VERY WEAK BUT
SEE THE FORCE OF THE POLITICAL ASPECTS. THEY ALSO
SEE THAT THE JAPANESE ATTITUDE IS THE KEY TO THE SITUATION AND
ARE WELL AWARE OF THE RISK OF A BARGAIN E G OVER OKINAWA.
THEY INDICATED THAT THEY WOULD NOT BE PREPARED TO NEGOTIATE
WITH THE AMERICANS IN PRESENT CIRCUMSTANCES.
?
3. THEY ASKED ABOUT THE US/HONG KONG DISCUSSIONS ON 13 OCTOBER
AND WERE GIVEN A FULL ACCOUNT WITH EMPHASIS ON THE FACT THAT
HONG KONG CONSIDER THAT THE AMERICAN APPROACH HAS BEEN ANSWERED
AND THAT THE BALL IS IN THE AMERICAN COURT. I AM PROVIDING
THEM WITH THE TEXT OF THE HONG KONG NOTE,
4. THE KOREANS WERE TOLD THAT WE HAD HEARD FROM THE JAPANESE
THAT THEIR REPLY TO THE AMERICANS WAS ON BROADLY SIMILAR LINES
TO THAT OF HONG KONG, THEY SUGGESTED THAT THE WAY IN WHICH THE
JAPANESE WERE DEALING WITH THE AMERICANS (NO OFFICIAL RESPONSE)
MIGHT INDICATE THAT THEY WERE DELIBERATELY KEEPING OPTIONS
OPEN IN CASE A POLITICAL BARGAIN BECAME ROSSIBLE, THEY ALSO ASKED
RF
229
REGISTRY No.51
CONFIDENTIAL
-4 NOV 1969
никъ році.
YPOINT
316