CONFIDENTIAL
BRIEF No. 11
Secretary of State's Tour of the Far East
January/February 1973
Policy on Visits by Nuclear Powered Ships to Hong Kong
In 1968 176 US Warships (4 nuclear) visited Hong Kong
during the first 6 months. Finally the visit of
USS ENTERPRISE provoked a high level protest by China. The
reasons for this were most complex involving a wide range of
Sino-British-US-Hong Kong-Vietnamese facets. The situation
was such that the US agreed that it was in our joint best
interests to keep the temperature down. The pattern of
USN nuclear visits to Hong Kong was therefore established
initially at 4 a year with a possible 2 further visits by
smaller vessels if the political climate permitted. Keeping
a careful eye on the temperature the FCO agreed progressive
increases in the number of US nuclear visits in successive
years. Doubling up of nuclear visits was also permitted
(eg 2 SSNs at the same time). Finally the FCO gave agreement
to the visit in early December last year of USS ENTERPRISE,
a ship which had been refused during the previous 4 years.
This visit which could have been politically sensitive
passed off without undue incident.
At the moment the annual number of nuclear visits stands
at about 12. The US have asked whether this could be
increased. Quite apart from the political considerations (which are being looked, àt) a stumbling block could be the
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