Registry No.
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION
Top Secret,
Secret.
Confidential.
Restricted.
Unclassified.
PRIVACY MARKING
DRAFT
To:-
..............................................In Confidence
1.
LETTER
Sir Peter Preston KCB O.D.A.
Type 1 +
From
PUS
Telephone No. Ext.
r
Department
DEPENDENT TERRITORIES SENIOR APPOINTMENTS BOARD
I have recently been giving thought to the need for the
continued existence of the Dependent Territories Senior
Appointments Board.
2. The Board was set up in 1969 by agreement between Sir
Denis Greenhill and Sir Geoffrey Wilson with the object of
advising the Secretary of State on appointments to Governor-
ships and other senior posts in Dependent Territories. Its
membership has always included a member of your Department,
(at
at present Donald Kirkness.
3.
Circumstances have changed considerably over the last
10 years.
The number of Dependent Territories has diminished
and will continue to do so. The supply of HMOCS officers is
drying up and it is becoming necessary to look more and more
to the Diplomatic Service to fill senior vacancies in
Dependent Territories.
Moreover, appointments to the most
senior posts, e.g. the Governorships of Hong Kong, Bermuda
and Gibraltar, are usually decided outside the Board's normal
meetings.
4.
The Board has not met since November 1977 but a meeting
is planned for 4 June. Subject to any views you may have to
the contrary, I would propose to make this the final meeting
of the Board. Future vacancies can, I am sure, be dealt with
quite satisfactorily through the normal Diplomatic Service
machinery.
15.
Dd 108087 400M S&K 1/77
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