Registry No.
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION
Top Secret.
Secret.
Confidential.
Restricted. Unclassified.
PRIVACY MARKING
In Confidence
DRAFT
LETTER
To:-
Sir John Eden Bt MP Department of Trade &
Industry
1 Victoria Street London SW1
COTTON TEXTILES: HONG KONG
Type 1 +
From
Mr Royle
Telephone No. & Ext.
Department
Thank you for your letter of 10 December.
grateful for your agreement to the amendment to
Mr Ridley's letter to Haddon-Cave.
I was
I am sure that Hong Kong do not believe that we are
committed to any concessions in January but they, and I
hope this is your view too, will expect detailed talks
when these resume.
You will have seen the views of the Governor that
the loss and resentment in the Colony could be rectified
to some extent if concessions were made in the next
round of talks along the lines suggested by the Hong
Kong delegation last week. I know that you think it is
unlikely to be practicable for us to make concessions to
one major supplier without making corresponding
concessions to other major suppliers. It is a fact
however that HMG have as much responsibility for Hong
Kong as for Lancashire and it would be most difficult
for us to accept that nothing could be done by way of
transitional arrangements to help Hong Kong simply
because corresponding concessions would have to be made
to other major suppliers.
We consider it extremly important that, whatever
British Government view we arrive at for the resumed
talks, these will be both serious and meaningful and