Foreign and Commonwealth Office
London SW1A 2AL
JC W Bushell Esq, CMG SAIGON
Telephone 01-
330 He Din Ju
Your reference
*
ра
Our reference FAV 18/7
Date
20 September 1974
2319
Dear John,
ILLEGAL EMIGRANTS
1.
Thank you for your letter 10/3 of 13 September.
I hope our tel
no 128 of 17 September has clarified our objectives in asking you to
I am sorry if my letter was purnue the pongibility of a visit. insufficiently specific. commented:
2.
In approving the telegram, Lord Goronwy-Roberts
"I fully agree that the visit should be presented
to the South Vietnamese as being in their own interests and prompted by our wish to be helpful which is precisely our motivation.
As to who should visit, there are drawbacks connected with every agency, but they are marginal to the need for a visit to be paid. I think association with other interested missions eg Dutch, is worth attention. but however it is done, we must avoid delay."
I agree that Martin Ennals' allegation about corruption is illogical. It is symptomatic of Amnesty's whole uncritical approach to the facts of the issue.
3. In referring to rumours I had in mind our need to be aware of any ellegations, however wild, which Amnesty may latch onto, so that if they retail them to us we can reply that we are aware of them and are satisfied (if this be the case) that they are without foundation. However ludicrous the allegations may be, the issue remains a highly sensitive one here and we must seek to be ready with the right answers. I realise, of course, that such rumours about the illegal emigrants may not have their point of origin in Saigon, but if they do I am sure you will let us know.
14.