香港總督府
PERSONAL
GOVERNMENT HOUSE
HONG KONG
13th. November, 1973.
Dex Indra,
/mm then
I have just seen the circular to
Governors about despatches (HXH/3 of 29th. October). As you know I am aware of the deficiencies of our reporting to the F.C.O., which is used to Embassy procedures and style. I have sent a few despatches but in practice these do put a considerable personal burden on me. The Political Adviser is the only person familiar with the sort of thing required, and unfortunately it is difficult for him to get the emphasis right if he drafts on things other than external affairs. In these circumstances it is not easy for me to produce/three or four despatches a year in addition to an Annual Report.
Would you please let me know whether you think we are losing out by not sending more despatches. I know how useful they are as a means of influencing opinion in the Office and Whitehall, but I also know that if a post sends too many they lose their scarcity value and cease to be read outside the geographical department concerned.
At the moment, apart from the Annual Report, the only despatch I have in gestation is one on corruption.
Since despatches should never tell you very much that you do not know already, and their use is largely to educate or propagandise others less closely concerned, please bear in mind that
A.C. Stuart, Esq.,
Foreign and Commonwealth Office,
London.
/it is...
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