BRITISH EMBASSY
SAIGON
154
10/3
IMMEDIATE
No lah и заморит
Enk
C W Squire Esq MVO South-East Asian Department Foreign & Commonwealth Office London SW1
REGISTRY NO.2
24 JUL1974
TICKLY
19 July 1974
LAST REF
(133)
ཡ།
NEX.
REF.
Dear Bill.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
1.
Thank you for your telegram no 96 which I had this morning. I share your concern at the various regrettable statements that have been made this end, and of course agree that we must keep the GVN up to its promises. Bac arrives on Sunday, 21 July, and I have asked to see him the following day. Meanwhile I sent the Head of Chancery round to the MFA today to prepare the stage for a discussion and to make plain the need for a clear statement which corresponds to the facts.
2. I think I should say again that the MFA are unfortunately a very ineffective wheel of the machine that deals with this case. In the absence of their Minister they are quite incapable of bringing influence to bear. Hence I hope you will agree that it is better to reserve my approach for 22 July rather than to go in and talk to Hoan this weekend.
3. In particular I doubt whether the latter will be yet aware of the Bac-Hattersley discussion. I note that you spoke to the Embassy again in London. I am sure this is right but it
It is a fact that none is no use being optimistic of results.
of the MFA seemed to be aware of the Answer to the PQ until we delivered the text to them. Nor, consequently, was the Government spokesman, to whom we have also given the text.
4. Our current information is that although all 117 have now been returned from Con Son the trial is unlikely to start before a week at the earliest.
You
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JC W Bushell
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