DEPARTMENT OF TRADE
1 VICTORIA STREET LONDON SW1H OET
CONFIDENTIAL
John Chilcott Esq
Home Office
Queen Anne's Gate London SW1
Dear John,
Telephone 01-215 7877
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HKK & Jund 1979
24.3
RECEIVES MAY NO. 51
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1053
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES
23
The Home Secretary and the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary have wth received a copy of the letter of 6 June to my Secretary of State
Cso
from the President of the General Council of British Shipping. You will have seen that this letter developed a number of suggestions and points which the GCBS raised at their meeting with Mr Nott on
5 June.
At the Secretary of State's request, I have told the GCBS over the telephone that he would have no objections to their issuing the draft statement which was attached to their letter. I have also told them that the Secretary of State would wish to have the views of his colleagues on the points raised in their letter before replying. I should be grateful, therefore, if you and Stephen Wall could let me have your Ministers' urgent comments on this letter and, in particular, on the possibility that HMG and the GCBS should have a tacit understanding over re-settlement of refugees on board British vessels and that HMG should reimburse the companies for the costs involved while diplomatic representations are made to other countries. I should add that my Secretary of State has not held out any hopes of assistance to the industry on the latter point.
contd/...
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