(17260) Dd.897459 400m 12/72_G.W.B.Ltd. Gp.863

(16940) Dd.897300 400m 9/72 G.W.B.Ltd. Gp.863

NOTHING TO BE WRITTEN IN THIS MARGIN

Registry No.

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION

Top Secret.

Secret.

Confidential.

Restricted.

Unclassified.

PRIVACY MARKING

In Confidence

SECRET

DRAFT RECORD

Type 1 +

To:-

FROM

Telephone No. Ext.

Department

Suspected distabuction

P.S.

P.S. Lord Goresury-Relucta $5. De Exat

P.3./P.U.S.

Six G. Athens

Si D. Watson no with and rk Wright

Thomson

Hale

for Butter

HKIOD to enter :=

Defne Dept

FED

G&GD

H.1. Ambassador Pcking

Gamemor Has los

(personal)

RECORD OF CONVERSATION BETWEEN THE FOREIGN AND

COMMONWEALTH SECRETARY AND THE GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG

HELD AT THE HOUSE OF COMMONS ON MONDAY 24 JUNE 1974

AT 3.30 P.M.

Present:

The Rt. Hon. James Callaghan MP

Lord Goronwy-Roberts

Sir Murray MacLehose

Sir Duncan Watson

Mr M Wilford

Mr A Acland

Mr A C Stuart

Mr A Galsworthy

1.

Mr Callaghan said he would like to put formally on record his congratulations to the Governor for his work in Hong Kong.

Defence Review

2. Sir Murray MacLehose said that a garrison must be retained in Hong Kong for internal security purposes; but any proposal that Hong Kong should pay more would strain their finances, already heavily committed on new social expenditure. An agreement that they should continue to pay about the present £8 million a year might be negotiable, even though, with a reduced garrison, this might form a greater proportion of the total cost. But the troops would

Should

have to be the cheapest possible. This meant keeping the Gurkhas, who cost only a quarter as much per head as British soldiers. At the same time some

UK forces would have to be retained in order to keep

the British character of the garrison.

SECRET

13....

Share This Page