Flag D
SECRET
additional annual costs of the order of $200,000 (budgetary)
and £50,000 (foreign exchange). No major work services will
be required. This additional cost will have to be borne by
Defence Force at least until March 1971, when a new agreement
with the Hong Kong Government on garrison costs should come
into effect.
4. The Chiefs of Staff considered a previous paper on the
Hong Kong helicopter force which came to the same conclusion
on 15 April but decided that the operational case justifying
the increase in the Whirlwind helicopter force from six to ten
would need to be strengthened before submission was made to the
Defence Secretary. They invited the Air Force Department in
conjunction with the Army Department to revise the paper in the
light of their views. This has now been done. The Chiefs of
Staff are in favour of the recommendation. They will look to
the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for support.
Line to Take
He
5. The Governor of Hong Kong strongly supported the Commander-
in-Chief, Far East's, original recommendation that the force of
six Whirlwinds should be replaced by six Wessex helicopters.
has likewise supported the alternative proposal for increasing
the number of Whirlwinds. I recommend therefore that you
should strongly support the recommendation of the paper that the
establishment of the Hong Kong helicopter force should be
increased from six to ten Whirlwinds from 31 March 1970.
6. I recommend that you should decline to express an opinion
at this juncture on whether the Hong Kong Government would be
content to bear the cost of the additional helicopters post-1971,
SECRET
/since