GRS 200
PRIORITY
CYPHER CAT/A
CONFIDENTIAL
MAY NO. 51
2 1 JUL1976
63
FM HONG KONG 200550Z
~~KK 243/348
62
CONFIDENTIAL
TO PRIORITY FC O TELEGRAM NO 721 OF 20 JULY
INFO PRIORITY UKMIS GENEVA, WASHINGTON, RANGOON, TOKYO INFO SAVING HANOI (VIENTIANE PLEASE PASS ).
UKMIS GENEVA TELEGRAM NO 212: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES.
59
IF SOME OR ALL OF THE 39 ARE GRANTED ENTRY FACILITIES TO THE UNITED STATES, WE SEE NO PROBLEM ABOUT ALLOWING THEM TO LAND IN HONG KONG IN ORDER TO GO ON TO THE U.S.A. (SEE PARA 5 OF MY TELEGRAM NO 717 TO YOU).
2. YOUR ACTION VIS-A-VIS JAPANESE GOVERNMENT IS MOST HELPFUL (YOUR TELEGRAM NO 386 TO TOK YO). JAPANESE AUTHORITIES, WE UNDER- STAND, HAVE ALREADY GIVEN PERMISSION FOR SIMILAR BATCH OF REFUGEES FROM A NORWEGIAN SHIP TO LAND TEMPORARILY IN JAPAN. WOULD THEY NOT DO THE SAME FOR THE 'AVA'?
3. WE ARE ALSO MOST GRATEFUL FOR CORTAZZI'S ROBUST HANDLING OF
THE BURMESE AMBASSADOR.
4. SECOND VESSEL (PARA 4 OF UKMIS GENEVA TELEGRAM UNDER REFERENCE) WAS A FISHING JUNK BOUGHT JUST BEFORE THE PARTY SAILED, WITH REGISTRATION NUMBER NT 5944. WHEN THIS JUNK LEFT HONG KONG ON 10 JULY, LEADER SAID THAT THE ULTIMATE INTENTION WAS TO HEAD FOR GUAM BUT WE KNOW THAT THREE OF THE GROUP HAD A DEFINITE INTEREST IN SETTLING IN TAIWAN, THIS TENDS TO CONFIRM SECOND LAST SENTENCE
(24) IN OUR TELEGRAM NO 699.
ROBERTS
FILES
H K D
SEAD
NA SA
NEWS.D
RED
C N O
PSI LORD GORONWY-ROBERTS
MR. CORTAZZI
CONFIDENTIAL