CONTIDENTIAL
Mr Bac suid the USSR ws the principal armourer but
unle it threatened totally to cut off supplies
its influence must be limited.
Mr Hattersley said
Gramatic action by the Soviet Union was not a real
option for them. Mr Bac a recd and thought the
Soviet Union nevertheless could exercise influence
but only up to a point. The wording of the US/Soviet
communiqué was an improvement on some Soviet state-
ments in its call to "all parties concerned" to
observe the Paris Agreement.
The usual Soviet
formula referred to the need for South Vietnam and thei
US to act and assumed full compliance by ilanoi.
7. Mr Hattersley referrcd to the recent repatriation
of illegal immigrants into Hong Kong back to South
Vietnam. There was considerable press and
parliamentary interest in the rate of these illegal
immigrants. The South Vietnamese Government had
given the Government of Hong Kong certain assurances
which he was nure would be fully respected. Hr Bac
said he could ut once assure the Minister that the
The
immigrants would be well treated. 118 immigrants who
had violated the law on immigration would be
properly treated. lle could confirm the assurances
previously given that they would be treated fairly,
would have a trial in open court and would not be
harshly punished; particularly the women and the
draft dodgers would be treated lightly.
He Hattersley recognised that there might be amongst the group persons who had committed criminal offences
separate from the immigration charge. We naturally
understood that the South Vietnamese authorities would
CONFIDENTIAL
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