Registry No
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION
Top Secret,
Secret.
Confidential.
"Restricted.“
Unclassified.
PRIVACY MARKING
In Confidence]
CONFIDENTIAL
DSR 11
DRAFT LETTER
To: -
JMD Symes Esq
Private Secretary to the Secretary
of State for Trade
Department of Trade
1 Victoria Street
London
SW1
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES PICKED UP BY BRITISH SHIPS
Type 1 +
From
PS/LPS
Telephone No. Ext.
Department
1. Thank you for your letter of 10 August about what assurances can
be given to the shipping industry in respect of refugees picked up by
British ships.
2.
We do not underestimate the difficulties of the shipping industry.
But they have to be seen against the magnitude of the problem as a whole
11.
The OD decision to accept an additional 10,000 refugees was taken
primarily to relieve the appalling burden on Hong Kong. As we understan
it the decision to include in the total of 10,000 any refugees picked up
by British ships did not represent a change in the policy agreed at
Cabinet on 24 and 29 May of considering ship cases on their merits.
Indeed, Cabinet on 29 May agreed that no general undertaking should
be given to accept refugees rescued by United Kingdom ships.
3. While you will wish to appear as sympathetic as possible towards
the shipping industry, it seems to us that in the light of Cabinet
decisions, any assurance you give them should fall short of an
win taking
outright commitment general
Dd 0532000 800M 5/78 HMSO Bracknell