CONFIDENTIAL
PRIORITY BRUSSELS TELEGRAF
RECOIN 10.
REGISTRY No.51
CYPHER, CAR A
PRIORITY BRUSSELS TO FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
0.32 TO HONG KONG OF 17 SEPTEMBER 1970
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CONFIDENTIAL [NEUTRAL]
18 SEP 1970
HIILG/6
FOR
ADDRESSED TO GOVERNOR HONG KONG TELEGRAM NO. 32, OF 17 SEPTENBER 1970 AND RFI PRIORITY TO UKMIS GENEVA/FOR JONES AND SAVING TO
UKDEL EC, FCO AND HONG KONG GOVERNMENT LONDON OFFIC
FROM DODGE
YOUR TELEGRAM NO. 9: COTTON TEXTILES
NEX
REF.
70
I CONVEYED YOUR POINTS TO ERNST AND AT LEAST SHIFTED HIM
A LITTLE FROM THE STANDPOINT THAT ACTUAL NEGOTIATIONS MUST
TAKE PLACE IN THE LATTER HALF OF THIS MONTH OR HONG KONG
WILL FACE THE CONSEQUENCES''.
2.
1)
HE IS STILL ABSOLUTELY RIGID ON THREE MAJOR POINTS:
THAT THE NEXT ROUND MUST CONSIST OF FORMAL NEGOTIATIONS
REPEAT NEGOTIATIONS:
}
THAT IT CANNOT TAKE PLACE IN HONG KONG:
3)
1
THAT BEFORE THE END OF SEPTEMBER WE MUST FORMALLY ACCEPT OR REJECT HIS OFFER OF FORMAL NEGOTIATIONS. (HE CLAIMS
THIS TO BE A MATTER OF PRINCIPLE IN CONNECTION WITH THE VALIDITY OF THE CURRENT CTA AND OUR GERMAN BILATERAL).
3. AS TO FACTUAL JUSTIFICATION ERNST AGREED TO DO WHAT HE
COULD TO PRODUCE SUCH STATISTICS ETC. AS WERE AVAILABLE EITHER IN ADVANCE, IF POSSIBLE, OR ACTUALLY AT THE SUBSEQUENT NEGOTIATIONS. HE FIRMLY REJECTS THAT THEIR PRODUCTION IS AN
AGREED PRE-CONDITION OF FORMAL NEGOTIATIONS.
4.
ERNST AGAIN STRESSED FORCIBLY AND AGGRESSIVELY THAT
HONG KONG WAS BEING UNIQUELY DIFFICULT AND IMPLIED THAT
THERE WERE ALSO DANGERS FOR US OUTSIDE THE FIELD OF COTTON
TEXTILES IN MAINTAINING SUCH A RIGID ATTITUDE.
CONFIDENTIAL
/5. ASSUMING