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А лише в
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BRITISH TRADE COMMISSION IN HONG
KONG
7th Floor, Shell House, Queen's Road, Central, HONG KONG
Mail Address: P.O. Box No. 528, Hong Kong Cable Address: "Uktrade Hongkong"
Telephone: 230176
(o.r.)
th
2
Our reference: 6/6/5 INDIV
Your reference:
E O Laird Esq
Hong Kong Department
Foreign & Commonwealth Office
London SW1
ENGLAND
Dear
Michael,
1KX6/568/3
17 December 1970
16
A couple of M.P.s, Mr. P.A.R. Blaker and Mr. T.V.N. Fortescue, are visiting Hong Kong from 6-12 January, 1971. When M.P.s and other V.I.P.s have business interests, I normally ask the Director of Protocol if they have a spare moment in their programme when I could see them and he has always been most helpful in arranging this.
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On the occasion of Mr. Blaker's visit, as he is the brother of a well- known Hong Kong businessman, I thought it might be a good idea if I were to ask him to address the Bulldogs at a lunch party (you will remember that the Bulldogs are a group of salaried representatives of British firms in Hong Kong who meet under my chairmanship once a month). I therefore enquired from the Director of Protocol whether Mr. Blaker would be free for lunch on one day and he promised to look into this for me.
However, the other day at a cocktail party, the Colonial Secretary asked me (in the nicest possible way) in future not to make such arrangements through the Director of Protocol but to do so direct. As the programme
for most V.I.P.s to Hong Kong is organised by the Hong Kong Government Director of Protocol, I had gone to him as a matter of courtesy and, in fact, I do not see how I could make separate and direct arrangements with these people without upsetting the Government's programme.
In any event, I obtained the strong impression that the Hong Kong Govern- ment would prefer that I did not interfere in the programme of such people as they were the guests of the Government and were expected to concern themselves with the affairs of Hong Kong and not with U.K. trade.
As you know, this question of our seeing M.P.s and other U.K. V.I.P.s has long been a headache for us my predecessor complained bitterly to me about it. I thought with the appointment of a Protocol Officer here, who in fact as the former Military Attache in Paris is an old friend of ours, we had found a solution. However, it seems that this is not so and I can only suggest that if we are to see such people at all, arrange- ments will have to be made at your end. I can do no more here.
/As far as
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