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3.
FCO or a joint FCO/HOD one, will, however, almost certainly be necessary to report the result of the negotiations in due course. At this stage December sceins a reasonable guess as to timing.
f. Defence White Paper
The provisional plan is for OPD to take this on 14 January and the Cabinet on 22 January.
8. IRCA
We expect to seek OPD approval for the launching of MRCA production in the first half of 1976. Just when we cannot say, but it is possible that two references might be necessary, one for planning purposes in the light of conclusions about the Air Defence Variant carly on in the New Year and one for substantive approval for production about May.
I should also mention one or two other possibilities on which it is impossible to put a date at this stage.
Hong Kong
The pattern of mgotiations is not yet sufficiently clear to say if, or when, the Defence Secretary may need to report to OPD.
b. Can
The same considerations apply here, too.
4. Finally, I should like to clear up the apparent confusion over the paper on defence guided weapons projects. The Defence Secretary has already made it clear to his colleagues that he does not consider that his decisions on the four guided weapons Projects need to be taken by the OPD. He has informed the Prime Minister, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary and the Secretary of State for Industry of the decisions he proposes to make and has said that he intends to inform his other OPD colleagues of the decisions before he announces them: this will not, however, need a formal reference to OPD.
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5. I am copying this letter to Weston in the FCO.
Yers smearly,
Shri Vim.
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