CONFIDENTIAL
British Embassy
3100 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington DC 20008
Telex Domestic USA 89-2370/89-2384
Telex International 64224(WUI)/248308(RCA)/440015(ITT) Telephone (202) 462-1340
CT W Humfrey Esq
SEAD
FCO
Dear
خناسان
Your reference
Our reference
243/1
De 12 April 1979
#KK 243/1
INDEX
по
17 APR:979
PA
f
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES
1.
2.
Thank you for your letter FA 243/1 of 30 March.
I think that our contacts in the State Department are well seized of the need to protect the confidentiality of our sources, but I shall nonetheless not fail to re-emphasise this as appropriate.
3. On the question of Ms Holtzman's conversation with Phan Hien (paragraph 7 of Evans' letter of 2 March) I took the opportunity, during a conversation with a member of her staff, to enquire about the background to her remarks about the alleged refugee vessel. I was told that this information had been picked up by Ms Holtzman's party on their way through Bangkok from American officials there dealing with the refugee problem. It was described to me as "one of the rumours" that the party had heard while they were in the area. Whether the original source was the State Department or local to the area remains unclear, but I fully take your point about the need to keep the Americans up to scratch on their handling of our material.
You dur Lan
SI Soutar
Copies: S N Evans Esq, HANOI
United Nations Dept, FCO Hong Kong & General Dept, FCO
CONFIDENTIAL
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