STAFF IN CONFIDENCE - CONFIDENTIAL
ака 4-31/1
VY NG
24 JUL 1978
RECEIVED
PS/Mr Rowlands
DESK OF. INDEX
وله
REGISTRY
Action Taken
跳
Keep for mutugon 26 Laly
Mr J A Davidson OBE, Governor (Designate), British Virgin Islands
1.
Lord Goronwy-Roberts has seen theChief Clerk's minute of 18 July covering Mr Alexander's submission of 7 July and has commented as follows:
36
"I shall be glad to see Mr Rowlands. my views are:
1.
The appointment should stand
In the meantime,
THIS IS A COPY
2. Because of the peculiar circumstances and
difficulties of the Brunei situation, especially in the last 2 or 3 years, it is inevitable that everybody's handling of it should be questioned from time to time. In perspective, I consider Mr Davidson, in erring on the side of caution and affability in his relations with the Brunci authorities
3.
THE ORIGINAL HAS BEEN
CLOSED UNDER
made a
contribution to basic good feeling on which we were able to build a satisfactory agreement. I believe that this extraordinary situation was in fact resolved by a combination of ministerial (and departmental) toughness plus the maintenance of good relations by the High Commissioner on the spot. Moreover, Mr Davidson's thorough grasp of the facts of life in Brunei surfaced most helpfully during the final constitutional talks. He understood the MoD side of the matter and asserted more than one point of clarity on the legal side. Sir E Norris's assessment of his handling of Brunei is important.
His background and record otherwise are obviously very good and, I should think, will come to his aid much more significantly in any other post than in Brunei. In the BVI, his patience, warmth and care for the susceptibilities of others should be valuable."
내
FOI EXEMPTION NO. 27(1), 40(2), 41
20 July 1978
c.c. Sir M Palliser
Chief Clerk
Lynton Jones вам
JI Johes
FSXLord Goronwy-Roberts
Cortazzi
Mr Alexander
Mr Duff
WIAD
Mr McLaren, HKGD