الامساكية
Con
we discuss
please.
香港總督府
2019
PERSONAL & CONFIDENTIAL
52
10 OCT 1974
Spoken fir D. Watson
GOVERNMENT HOUSE
HONG KONG
PLA
120
As
9/10
27th September 1974
My dr Duncan, HKKINA
to my tel. 973
This is the follow-up letter promised about the Defence Review.
Do not be alarmed by my apparent breach with Dwin Bramall. We get on very well and he entirely agrees with the line I am taking, and also that he could not say on oath that 5 1/3 units was too small a garrison in present circumstances. But he is up against the CDS' position and cannot afford to sell the pass at this stage.
You may therefore go in to bat for my proposal, if you feel able to do so, with a clear conscience that you are not undermining the security of Hong Kong.
My proposal has the incidental
advantage of making a substantial amount of MOD land available, and this could help to sweeten the pill for Ex. Co. and Finance Committee.
However I remain very unhappy about the line Ministers have adopted, and frankly do not see my way through the problem they have set me. But before taking this further I must first have a clearer idea of the force level Hong Kong is expected to pay for.
You
M
7
Sir Duncan Watson, KCMG,
Hong Kong & Indian Ocean Department,
Foreign & Commonwealth Office, London, S.W.1.
PERSONAL & CONFIDENTIAL