4.
We agreed that the issue between us and the Hong Kong officials was primarily a disagreement over tactics. Our tactical judgement was that the document they proposed to put to the Commission would harm their cause. Their judgement was that the document was intrinsically reasonable and would be seen as such by .the Commission. I suggested that the sensible thing to
do was therefore to send the draft to UKREP Brussels for their comments in the light of their local knowledge of the tactical situation. They might even find it possible to speak informally to contacts in the Commission to discover whether a document of this kind (if necessary re-drafted) would be counter- productive or not
5. I accepted that in the final analysis the Hong Kong Authorities would have to make up their own minds as to whether they wished to put in a memorandum or not, what- ever our advice might be.
6. I would be grateful if you could draft a telegram to UKREP Brussels, forwarding the Hong Kong text, setting out some of the foregoing considerations on both sides, and asking for their views. The draft should of course be cleared with the Departments of Trade and Industry (I told the Hong Kong officials that we would not want to proceed otherwise).
24 October 1974
'RQ Braithwaite
European Integration Department (External) M 1161 Auto 645
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}