And
5. I SAID I SUSPECTED THAT THE BRITISH CONSORTIUM HAD NOW BEEN LIQUIDATED AND MIGHT BE DIFFICULT TO FIND ANYONE TO SPEAK ON ITS BEHALF. WHAT WOULD HIS REACTION BE TO GEC HAVING WORD WITH MITSUBISHI ? OZU SAID IT WOULD BE LESS VALUABLE IF ONLY ONE COMPANY WERE TO MAKE THE RUNNING ON THEIR OWN BEHALF
BUT EVEN THAT WOULD BE BETTER THAN NOTHING.
#
6. I SAID IT HAPPENED THAT A SENIOR DIRECTOR OF GEC, MR A T WRIGHT, WAS NOW IN TOKYO AS LEADER OF AN OFFICIALLY SPONSORED CHBPE MISSION.. IF IT WERE ESSENTIAL THAT INFORMAL CONTACT SHOULD TAKE PLACE IN TOKYO PERHAPS IT MIGHT BE AN
IDEA IF WPIGHT COULD DO THIS WHILE HE WAS STILL HERE. OZU THOUGHT THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA, THOUGH HE AGAIN EMPHASISED THAT HE HOPED THE GEC PEPRESENTATIVE WOULD BE ABLE TO SPEAK ON BEHALF
OF THE CONSORTIUM. TO THIS I REPLIED THAT I HAD REALLY NO
IDEA WHETHER THE CONSORTIUM OR ANY COMPONENT PART OF IT WOULD
STILL BE INTERESTED. WHEN MR CHATAWAY HAD BEEN IN TOKYO IN JANUARY, HE HAD RAISED THE MATTER INFORMALLY WITH MR FUJINO (THE PRESIDENT OF MITSUBISHI SHOJI) BUT THE LATTER HAD GIVEN NO POSITIVE RESPONSE AND THE MINISTER HAD NOT PRESSED
IT. FROM THIS I HAD DE DUCED THAT THE DOOR TO ANY BRITISII PARTICIPATION IN THE CONTRACT WAS CLOSED. HOWEVER AS HE (OZU) THOUGHT IT WAS NOW OPEN AGAIN I WOULD OF COURSE REPORT HIS VIEWS TO LONDON AND OBTAIN YOUR REACTIONS. I WOULD NOT SPEAK TO MR WRIGHT ABOUT IT UNLESS AUTHORISED BY YOU TO DO SO, AND I COULD NOT GUARANTEE THAT GEC COULD SPEAK ON BEHALF OF THE WHOLE CONSORTIUM.
PRESUMABLY AS A DOUCEUR OZU SAID THAT WE NEED NOT WORRY
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}
TO MUCH ABOUT INSURANCE COVER. THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT WERE READY TO COVER 49% OF ANY FOREIGH COMPONENTS.
8. HE GAVE ME THE IMPRESSION (AS IN YOUR PARA 2) THAT MITI ARE KEENER FOR SOME BRITISH PARTICIPATION THAN JAPANESE CO
PANIES. I DO NOT BELIEVE WE NEED BE MANOEUVRED INTO A POSITION OF DEMANDEUR AND IF AFTER DISCUSSION WITH GEC YOU AUTHORISE ME TO SPEAK TO WRIGHT AND PASS ON ANY DIRECTIVE, IT IS CLEAR THAT OZU WILL ARRANGE FOR HIM TO SEE THE RIGHT
PEOPLE IN MITSUBISHI.
A
WARNER
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