HK K 10/9
CONFIDENTIAL
Hong Kong Department
18
JK Blackwell Esq CBE
Senior British Trade Commissioner HONG KONG
90 Prev
4 February 1971
I am sorry that you have had to wait so long for a reply to your letter of 11 December about defence costs,
If you pick up any local views on the question of the defence contribution, we should of course like to have them; but for the reasons which I have explained we do not wish you to make any effort to seek views and if anybody else raises the issue with you we still feel that it would be reasonable to reply that this is not a matter of your concern.
As to the incident you mentioned, it must surely be obvious to the expatriate member of the Urban Council to whom you referred that our relations with the Dependent Territories cannot be compared with our relations with independent members of the Commonwealth, much less foreign countries.
I have discussed your suggestion that your Information Officer should be withdrawn (or at least his brief restricted entirely to commercial matters) with both Wilford and Brinson. We are all agreed that it would be best to leave this point on one side until your Post is next inspected. You will remember that Wyatt wrote to you in this sense last September. The Inspectorate tell us that they are including Hong Kong in their tour of the Far East which they are planning for the period end September to mid December 1971.
In
In this connection I think we should not forget that the terms of reference for your Information Officer were worked out most carefully in consultation with the Hong Kong authorities (please see Cape's letter to Hannam of 26 March, 1968). the event, as you know, the Hong Kong Government proposed that paragraph (iii) should be amended to read - "Discreetly to promote an understanding of Britain's general, domestic and overseas policies", and that there should be a fourth point - "(iv) To maintain close consultation with the Hong Kong Government at all times." These amendments were of course accepted by us.
cc Mr Brinson (GIPD)
Mr Wyatt (IAD) + copy of
Mr Blackewll's letter of 11/12/70.
FO Laird
CONFIDENTIAL