+4
Registry
No.
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION
Top Secret.
Secret.
Confidential.
Restricted.
Unclassified.
PRIVACY MARKING
CONFIDENTIAL
DRAFT
SUBMISSION
To:-
Mr Murray
Mr Cortazzi
PS/Mr Tomlinson
.
......................................................................................In Confidence
PS/Lord Goronwy Roberts
Type 1 +
From
Mr Milton
Telephone No. Ext.
Department HUGA.
DSR11
A
B
C
D
HONG KONG: VISIT BY SOVIET RESEARCH VESSEL
Problem
1. The Russians have requested permission for the Soviet research
vessel "Dimitriy Mendelev" to visit Hong Kong from 31 October
3 November.
Background
2.
The present request, conveyed by the Soviet Embassy in their Note
Number 59/AN of 5 August, is very sim ilar to that put to HMG in
June last year in respect of the same ship. Following Mr Janvin's
submission of 28 June 1976 (which gives much vackground relevant
to the present request) the Soviet aplication was refused and the
Embassy informed that "for administrative reasons" it was "not
convenient" for the "Dimitriy Mendelev" to visit Hong Kong on the
dates in question.
3. As in June 1976, the Soviets appear to be attempting to gain
}
support for their present request by canvassing
Fellows
of the Royal Society. On 11 July the Royal Society's Foreign Secretary
wrote to Mr Buxton, the Head of M & GD enclosing letters to two
permanent Fellows of the Royal Society from Aca L M Brekhovskikh (who is Chairman of the National Committee of Soviet Oceanographers) to ask
for an explanation which might be passel on to the Russians, as to
researth
HMC's criteria for permitting such vessels into Hong Kong. After
telephoning Dr Stoker and giving him, in confidence, something of the
Juackground
Dia 108087 400M S&K 1/77