GRS 150
PRIORITY
CYPHER CAT/A
FM HONG KONG 239404Z
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
RECEIVED IN
REGISTRY No.52
23 JUL 1974
14KKICK)
/ 1974
147
TO PRIORITY F C O TELEGRAM NUMBER 775 OF 23 JULY INFO FLASH
SAIGON.
SAIGON TELEGRAM NO 200 AND YOUR TELEGRAM NO 98.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS.
LARF REF.
(44)
NEW
REF.
149
IT IS ENCOURAGING THAT BAC SAID THAT HE DID NOT RETREAT FROM THE ASSURANCES GIVEN, BECAUSE I ACCEPT THAT WHILE CASES ARE SUB JUDICE IT IS DIFFICULT FOR R V N GOVERNMENT TO STATE PUBLICLY
THE FACT AND NATURE OF THESE ASSURANCES.
2. I AGREE THAT BAC'S DRAFT WITH YOUR PROPOSED ADDITIONS IS
BETTER THAN PREVIOUS STATEMENTS. I DO NOT SEE THE POINT OF THE ADDITION OF "THE" BEFORE 'ASSURANCES'' IN PARAGRAPH 1 (A)
OF YOUR TELEGRAM UNDER REFERENCE, BUT HAVE NO OBJECTION, I
AGREE THAT UNUSUALLY'' SHOULD BE DELETED.
3. ALTHOUGH PRESS INTEREST HAS, TEMPORARILY DIED DOWN, WE EXPECT
THAT A NEW STATEMENT BY THE VIETNAMESE MINISTER FOR FOREIGN
AFFAIRS WILL REVIVE IT. THE SECTION OF THE HONG KONG PRESS WHICH
IS SEEKING TO KEEP THE ISSUE ALIVE HAS BEEN CONTENTING ITSELF
RECENTLY WITH RE-PRINT FROM OTHER PRESS COMMENT E.G. THE NEW
STATESMAN OF 12 JULY. AS MENTIONED IN OUR TELEGRAM NO 20 TO SAIGON
IT REMAINS IN ALL OUR INTERESTS THAT TRIALS SHOULD TAKE PLACE AS
SOON AS POSSIBLE SO THAT RESULTS WILL BE KNOWN AND THAT UNWARRANTED
SPECULATION WILL END.
ROBERTS
FILES
IKIOD
SEAD
MVD
FED
PARLIAMENTARY UNIT
NEWS DEPT
PS TO LORD GORONWY-ROBERTS
PS TO MR HATTERSLEY
PS TO PUS
SIR D WATSON
MR WILFORD
MR MALE
CONFIDENTTAL