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PS/Mr Blaker
har nor seen
Privystyy hay agurd
PS/Lord Pr
Private Secretary
A
B
INDO-CHINA REFUGEES
1. Mr Cartledge's letter of 2 July conveyed the Prime
Minister's instructions that we should put arrangements
in hand immediately for consultations with Australia, the
United States, Canada and perhaps France with a view to
arriving at a common approach to the Geneva Conference.
2. I consulted the four London Missions of these countries
immediately and all have agreed to attend a meeting in the
FCO on 11 July. I deliberately pitched the date into the
middle of next week to enable them to get full briefing and
also to create time for the Secretary of State and the Home nd the Hore
Secretary to consult the Prime Minister on our
own policy.
and to take any consequential action if this is necessary
after they have considered the problem together.
3. After I had taken action in London, we received
Canberra telegram No 371 which suggests that the Australians
are tending to rush ahead without having thought things out
The idea of having a Ministerial meeting in
properly.
London is a
bad one. It would immediately expose the exis
tence of a Ministerial
cabal: it could not be concealed.
On the other hand consultations at Ministerial level before
CONFIDENTIAL
/the