SECRET
;;,、བཻ
Kong contribution of only 50% of the cost of the garrison; and on this point, therefore, the Governor could be told only that, while his view was noted, approval to the study had been given without rejudice to the related financial questions which would have to be considered separately. Thirdly, the Governor appeared to contemplate that the Working Party might be free to take account of the related financial difficulties in framing their
recommendations.
The meeting agreed that the Working Party's task could not be so widely interpreted and that the Governor should be informed accordingly. Quite apart from the fact that the Working Party's task as defined in the terms of reference was already onerous, it had never been intended that it should include such related questions as the level of Hong Kong contribution, graduation, or other such issues. This would not of course prevent Hong Kong officials from making a separate submission to the Governor on the related financial questions which he would be free to include in his covering comments. 300 reply to the Governor was accordingly agreed, on these lines.
C.
if
An
CBFHK had expressed concern in a signal to AUS(CS) about overloading the Working Party's task by requiring them to identify the lowest cost garrison that could be recommended, no practical solution could be recommended at the £35M or lower financial level. had replied to CBFHK explaining that this aspect of the task reflected the terms in which Ministerial approval had been given to the study being set in hand.
AUS(CS)
d. DS6 had replied to the FCO agreeing to the FCO's suggestion that the MOD representative should take the opportunity in the margins of Working Party discussion to inform Hong Kong Officials that run-down planning was now in hand in Hong Kong and might require certain overt steps to be taken
on which there would be separate notification to Hong Kong officials in advance of a final agreement on the future garrison level. It was noted that certain of the reductions currently being planned were outside the context of the future Hong Kong garrison, and were related to other measures necessary to attain the Critical Level of Defence Expenditure by reducing or removing certain
The planning other Service Units in Hong Kong. which had now been set in hand for the reduction
2
SECRET UK EYES A