Registry No.
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION
Top Secret,
Secret.
Confidential.
Restricted.
Unclassified.
PRIVACY MARKING
In Confidence
CONFIDENTIAL AND PERSONAL
DRAFT
DESPATCH
To:-
ALL OAGS
Sir
Type 1 +
From
DSR 41
37 / سلام
Secretary of State
Telephone No. Ext.
Department
POLICY TOWARDS THE DEPENDENT TERRITORIES
1.
The Governors of the British Dependent Territories
in the Caribbean, at their conference in Bridgetown (in
January agreed that they would welcome a re-statement of
the British Government's policy towards the future of the
remaining Dependent Territories. The need for this arises
tom not so much (because of) any doubt about the basic policy
which successive British Governments have been) consistently
ed
dan
following since 1945, but rather because of uncertainty
that has grown in recent years about some of the implications
of this policy.
Specifically, there appear to be doubts
over how fast and how far constitutional development should
be allowed to proceed, particularly in territories which
have no wish to become independent or where independence
is ruled out, at least for the forseeable future, because of
international political complications; over the extent to
which HMG's policies should be directed towards the creation
of the conditions that would make independence possible even
where it is not contemplated; and over what alternatives, if
any, may be available to territories that, while reluctant
to remain simple colonies, believe that for them full
independence is not an option.
CONFIDENTIAL AND PERSONAL
Dd 0532000 800M 5/78 HMSO Bracknell