CONFIDENTIAL
6.
If we do have to stay at the Guest House,
we should look again at the siting of the Private Office. Having it there will make it impossible to do business securely. The Private Office does not need a large amount of space. It is much more convenient for us to be close to the Secretary of State but security is going to be a real problem and it could well be better to have the Office n the Chancery. An important factor is the time taken to drive from the Government Guest House to the Chancery: how long would it take to cover the 1 miles? Another is the security of the Secretary of State's box which he will have with him overnight wherever we have the Office.
Entertainment
7.
I agree that it would be nice at one of the parties to invite as wide a circle of guests as the Peking circumstances permit.
The Journalists
3.
I assume from your paragraph 17 that you are planning on the basis of journalists not travelling in the Secretary of State's plane.
There has been discussion of this on other papers. Mr. Leahy would, I know, like to offer some of them a lift if there is room in the aircraft. We can look at this again nearer the date when we know how many will be in our party in the rear section of the aircraft, how many journalists are candidates; whether the Chinese arrange
an ancillary programme for the journalists and what the alter- native travel arrangements are.
c.c. PS/PUS
Mr. Leahy Mr. Laird
CONFIDENTIAL
(J. A. N. Graham)
1 August, 1972