RM Hilary Esq
Commercial Director
BOAC
Speedbird House
Heathrow Airport HOUNSLOW
Middlesex
IN CONFIDENCE
COPY
26 March 1970
My dear Dick
KAI TAK
Please refer to your letter dated 10 March to Robbie Burns. will know, he is in Washington at the moment.
As you
2. There has been no new development about financial assistance to Hong Kong for the Kai Tak development. Hong Kong have not succeeded in getting any grant or loan from HMG and have decided to go ahead on their own. Doubtless they would still like to find a way to get some if they could, but the Hong Kong's healthy budgetary and economic position makes it, I should imagine, very unlikely that the Treasury here would be moved.
3. We did consult the FCO as to what we should say in reply to your letter and they suggested - So far as United Kingdom assistance for the development of Kai Tak is concerned, we are not in a position to say that the matter can be regarded as finally closed. In these circumstances, we would ask you to be as non-committal as possible should this subject be raised when you see Sir John Cowperthwaite.
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There is another aspect of interest to you if you are seeing Sir J Cowperthwaite. As you may know he is a devotee of 19th century laisser faire doctrines (as may be inferred even from the press extracts sent with your letter) and consequently always presses that we should let all airlines – e.g. KIM, SAS, etc freely "ong Kong regardless of whether their countries have a worthwhile quid pro quo to offer in traffic rights or the effects on you. Anything that can be done to educate him in the disadvantages of an open se policy from Hong Kong's own viewpoint, and the interest for the colony in cultiva- ting and protecting the interests of BOAC etc, would be to BOAC'S
No doubt Peter Jack could supply you with his notes on
advantage.
that.
Yours ever
Ray le Goy
сот comli либино Colyli Mr P.Jach