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2 -
3.
The first of these points raised the question of whether we should now change the policy that has been followed by successive British Governments since 1945 of respecting the wishes of those territories that want to remain as depend- encies. Hong Kong and General Department are at present pre- paring a draft memorandum on policy towards the Dependent Territories for submission to Ministers. As at present drafted, the memorandum reiterates the standard formula that, while we can offer assistance and encouragement to terri- tories wishing to become independent, we do not force indep- endence on territories that do not want it. While I do not think there can be any question of forcing independence on anybody, Ministers may wish to consider adding a glass to the existing policy to make it clear that, while not applying direct pressure, we shall do everything possible to encourage territories that we believe capable of sustaining independence to move towards it. The arguments for and against this will
be set out in more detail when the memorandum is submitted
for Ministers' consideration.
4. On the second point, I am asking the departments concerned to consider whether we are keeping other Governments in the Caribbean area as fully informed as is desirable of our plans for the future of the remaining Dependent Territories, and whether everything feasible is being done to promote regional cooperation.
5. On the third point, I believe the suspicion to be under- standable but unjustified. The speaker who made the point most forciby himself quoted an example (the Gilbert Islands) where we quite clearly did not allow ourselves to be blinkered by precedence. Possibly the misapprehension arose because we chose to present the question of the future of our remaining Dependent Territories as a continuation of the decolonisation process that started with India in 1947. But it does not follow from this that we automatically adopt the same course in every case, and I hope that we persuaded the participants in the seminar that we had indeed retained the necessary flexibility.