PRIORITY
CYPHER/CAT A
GRFS 300
FM HONG KONG 0189002
CONFIDENTIAL
TOP JPY
CONFIDENTIAL
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TO PRIORITY FCO TELNO 467 OF 1ST MAY, 1973.
YOUR TELMO 406.
HONG KONG SHIPPING REGISTER.
3
PLEASE PASS FOLLOWING TO ARCHER, OTI.
lise
стру
6
De Ray las offic
PA.
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A HISUNDERSTANDING APPEARS TO HAVE ARISEN, IT IS ONLY
FOSSIBLE TO PREPARE MEANINGFUL AND AUTHORITATIVE AND, WE TRUST, FINAL COMMENTS AFTER FULL CONSULTATION WITH OUR SHIPOWNERS, AS
THEY WILL IN THE END HAVE TO MAKE THE DECISIONS ON HOW MUCH OF THEIR
TONNAGE THEY WILL REGISTER IN HONG KONG IF A SEPARATE REGISTRY IS ESTABLISHED, TO SEND YOU MERELY GOVERNMENT COMMENTS AT THIS STAGE
MIGHT BE MISLEADING AND COULD RESULT IN THE EXERCISE BEING SLOWED
DOWN RATHER THAN SPEEDED UP.
2. at TO HAVE FULL CONSULTATIONS WITH THE SHIPOWNERS AND TO CARRY
THEM WITH US IN ANY COMMENTS WE FINALLY MAKE INEVITABLY MEANS
THAT WE HAVE TO GIVE THEM A REASONABLE TIME TO DISCUSS THE MATTER
IN THEIR ASSOCIATIONS AND AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE THEIR REMARKS IN
WRITING. TIME IS NEEDED ALSO BECAUSE ONE OR TWO OF THE KEY
FIGURES INVOLVED ARE AT PRESENT OUT OF HONG KONG.
3. IN VIEW OF THE FACT THAT MR HESELTINE HAS ALREADY HELD DISCUS- SIONSWITH BOTH SIDES OF THE BRITISH INDUSTRY WE WILL, OF COURSE,
TO OUR BEST TO EXPEDITE THE DISCUSSIONS HERE AND TO SEND YOU A FULLY
CONSIDERED DOCUMENT AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, BUT WITH THE BEST WILL
IN THE WORLD WE CANNOT GUARANTEE THAT THIS WILL BE READY
CONFIDENTIAL
/BEFORE THE