NOTHING TO BE WRITTEN IN THIS MARGIN
Registry No.
SÉCURITY CLASSIFICATION
Top Secret.
Secret.
Confidential.
Restricted.
Unclassified.
PRIVACY MARKING
In Confidence
DRAFT
LETTER
To:-
Type 1 +
FROM
His Excellency
Sir Murray MacLehose
KCMG MBE
Governor
HONG KONG
Sir D Watson
Telephone No. Ext.
Department
Copy to:
EG Willan Esq
CMG
HM Ambassador RANGOON
JO Lloyd Esq
CBE
H M Ambassador VIENTIANE
Sir Arthur de la Mare KCMG KCVO
HM Ambassador BANGKOK
DANGEROUS DRUGS
of
1. Thank you for your letter dated April 1973
enclosing copies of Rolph's report on his recent
visit to Burma, Laos and Thailand. This usefully
carries forward the comments of the Embassies
concerned on your original paper.
2. I enclose copies of the record of a meeting
which Andrew Stuart held on 12 April with Train,
who is the main Home Office expert on the drug
problem and will be the UK representative on the
proposed ad hoc committee.
Unfortunately this
meeting was held before your latest letter was
received. But I think its conclusions, which are
summed up in paragraph 8 of the record, are
compatible with yours. The only difference of
emphasis is that Rolph evidently found in Rangoon,
Vientiane and Bangkok a greater readiness to talk
to the governments concerned than we had deduced
from the Embassies' written comments. There will
obviously be a need for particular care in Rangoon,
but if Edward Willan, Arthur de la Mare and John
Lloyd are willing to act as suggested in Rolph's
paragraphs 9, 16 and 22 as appropriate, then we
would see no objection.
3.
On the question of the posting of Hong Kong
/officers
SECRET