CONFIDENTIAL
countries to appeals for them to include a share from the
CO ly in their agreed quotas of refugees has made it more
important for us to try and prevent our offtake from Hong Kong from being whittled down - as it would be if
other refugees were accepted by us who might not even
have been landed there. In that case the colony
would be bearing the brunt of the open-ended commitment
which the Cabinet refused to accept for the United
Kingdom itself on 29 May. Our ability to persuade the
Hong Kong Government to accept further refugees for
settlement will be impaired if the extent to which
we are eventually able to help them falls short of
the undertakings we have publicly assumed.
5. There is no disposition here to argue with the
priority that ships' Masters must attach to rescuing
people who are in danger of drowning. May I add that
the implication was never intended that "queue-jumpers"
might have to be abandoned. But there were sound
reasons for the Cabinet's decisions that we
could not automatically agree to accept for settlement
here all refugees saved by British flag vessels.
6.
We hope, therefore, that the Department of Trade
will feel able, on reflection to reply to Mr Ropner
as advised in my letter of 2 August.
7.
I am copying this letter to NO 10 and to the
Private Secretary to the Home Secretary.
:
:)