Registry No.
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION
Top Secret,
Secret.
Confidential.
Restricted.
Unclassified.
PRIVACY MARKING
In Confidence
CONFIDENTIAL
DRAFT
TERRITORIAL SURVEY
Type 1 +
From
To:-
Telephone No. Ext.
Department
DSR 11
TERRITORY: ST HELENA (including Ascension and Tristan da
POPULATION: 6,500
Cunha)
SPECIAL FACTORS:
Isolation
PROSPECTS FOR INDEPENDENCE:
St Helena is heavily dependent on budgetary aid. (Tristan da Cunha is self-supporting.) There is no desire for independence among the Islanders who are strongly attached to the UK. No major constitutional changes are envisaged.
POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVES TO INDEPENDENCE:
Only possibility is
integration with Britain if that becomes politically acceptable.
RECOMMENDED POLICY: To accept that St Helena and its depen- dencies, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, will remain dependent on UK for foreseeable future. Ascension is an important strategic base and its detachment from UK is not an option. Tristan da Cunha is small and should remain attached to UK.
CONFIDENTIAL