GR 620A
IMMEDIATE
CYPHER CAT A
FM SAIGON 2210257
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
RECEIVED IN
REGISTRY No.52)
23 JUL 1974
LAST
OP COPY
NF T
REF.
139
41114/5
1974
142
7448 14 141
147
TO IMMEDIATE FCO TELNO 200 OF 22 JULY, INFO TO IMMEDIATE
GOVERNOR HONG KONG
MY TELEGRAM NO 197: ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS,
1. I HAD A DIFFICULT INTERVIEW WITH THE FOREIGN MINISTER
HE WAS FRIENDLY BUT HARD TO MOVE ON CRITICAL POINTS.
TODAY.
2.
AFTER I HAD SPOKEN ACCORDING TO INSTRUCTIONS, REMINDING
MR BAC INTER ALIA OF HIS DISCUSSION WITH MR HATTERSLEY ON
4 JULY AND THE ANSWER TO THE POO OF 10 JULY, MR BAC SAID THAT IN HIS OWN VIEW THERE WAS NO NEED FOR ANY JFURTHER STATEMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT OF VIETNAM. HE HAD STUDIED
RECENT OFFICIAL STATEMENTS AND THEY SEEMED TO HIM TO BE FAIR, AS REGARDS THAT MADE BY GENERAL BINH ON 13 JULY, HE POINTED OUT THAT THIS HAD BEEN QUALIFIED AS IN PARAGRAPH 2 OF HONG KONG TELEGRAM TO ME NO 18. AS REGARDS THAT MADE BY THEGOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN TRUC, HE READ OUT THE TEXT OF THE CORRECTED STATEMENT AS GIVEN IN MY TELEGRAM NO 26
TO HONG KONG. HE THOUGHT THESE WERE CORRECT AND ADEQUATE.
3.
I POINTED OUT THAT THESE STATEMENTS HAD CAST DOUBT ON THE ASSURANCES GIVEN IN HONG KONG BEFORE THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WERE SENT BACK. THEY ALSO FAILED TO REPEAT THAT
THERE WOULD BE NO HARSH PENALTIES. THESE POINTS HAD BEEN
MADE IN THE PQ, WHICH SAID THAT THEY WERE CONFIRMED BY THE FOREIGN MINISTER. AFTER CONSIDERABLE DISCUSSION, MR BAC PRODUCED FROM HIS POCKET A PROPOSED STATEMENT WHICH READ
AS FOLLOWS:
CONFIDENTIAL
/"THE