CONFIDENTIAL
I agree with this advice. I think the Secretary of State might also consider saying to Mr Ashley that too little attention has been given to the basic responsibility of the Vietnamese Government for creating this human misery on a large scale. Vietnamese protestations, that letting these people leave the
country shows a liberal policy, are cynical. The Vietnamese authorities are clearly involved in a traffic in human fates, disposing of their unwanted (mostly Chinese) people by dumping
them on the rest of the world with no care for their future.
of the best actions Mr Ashley and his friends could do is to
remind public opinion of this. The more it is said, the greater the hope that the Vietnamese Government will realise how their
international standing is dwindling.
One
16 January 1979
cc PS/Lord Goronwy-Roberts
PS/Mr Luard
Sir A Duff
Mr Cortazzi
Mr Weir
Mr Stephen
UND
SEAD
News Dept
CONFIDENTIAL
D F Murray