Registry
No.
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION
Top Secret.
Secret.
Confidential.
Restricted.
Unclassified.
PRIVACY MARKING
..In Confidence
CONFIDENTIAL
DRAFT
LETTER
Type 1 +
From
To:-
A. R. H. Kellas, Esq. C.M.G. KATHMANDU
Mr. K. H. Wilford
Telephone No. & Ext.
Department
cc Political
Adviser, Singapore
We were most interested to have your letter
of 30 October (10/9) about the Brigade of Gurkhas
and the future level of recruitment. I am sorry
that you have not had an earlier acknowledgment.
2. The Ministry of Defence have not yet made up
their minds what should be the strength of the
Brigade of Gurkhas after the end of 1971 and it
may be some little time before they do so. As
you know, and as was announced publicly by the
Prime Minister on 16 January 1968, the Brigade
will by that date be concentrated in Hong Kong.
The Prime Minister also stated that the future of
the Brigade after 1971 would depend on conditions
then. This is still the only firm statement of our
intentions. Your assessment of likely Nepali
reactions is of value both to the Ministry of
Defence and to us in the deliberations which will
have to take place over the next few months. As
you will appreciate the subject is a particularly
sansitive one and all I can say at the present
stage is that the Ministry's tentative plans are
not inconsistent with the position as stated in
your paragraph 9.
3. I would add that your letter was particularly
opportune, as we are having discussions this week
with the Governor of Hong Kong who is now in London
and we intend to speak to him informally about the/
(118281) Dd. 391599 1,500M 2/69 Hw.
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