XKS156
UNCLASSIFIED
FM WASHINGTON 152110Z AUG 79
ROUTINE F CO
TEL 02321 OF 15 AUGUST
MEK. 9434.
1575A
RECEIVED IN STAY NO. 51
16 AUG 1979
INFO HONG KONG (FOR POLITICAL ADVISER) UKMTS GENEVA, UKMI ME
YORK,
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES.
Action Taken
1. TODAY'S CHICAGO TRIBUNE CARRIED AN ARTICLE ENTITLED QUOTE WHO IS (AND ISN'T) AIDING REFUGEES UNQUOTE, ACCOMPANIED BY A DIAGRAM SHOWING PERMANENT RE-SETTLEMENT PERFORMANCE AS A FUNCTION OF POPULATION DENSITY, MULTIPLIED BY NUMBER OF REFUGEES ACCEPTED. THE SALIENT FACTOR BOTH IN THE ARTICLE AND IN THE DIAGRAM IS THAT BY THIS CRITERION HONG KONG FAR OUTSTRIPS ANY OTHER COUNTRY, FOLLOWING ARE QUOTATIONS FROM THE ARTICLE.
2. QUOTE THUS, 15,00% REFUGEES HAVE A FAR GREATER IMPACT ON DENSELY POPULATED HONG KONG THAN THE 220,000 IN THE US. ... THE REAL
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE GRAPH, HOWEVER, IS NOT SO MUCH IN THE COUNTRIES
THAT ARE ON IT AS IN THE ONES WHICH ARE NOT. MOST SUPPOSEDLY
CIVILIZED NATIONS HAVE DONE SO LITTLE THAT THEIR EFFORTS WOULD
BARELY RAISE A RIPPLE ON SUCH A GRAPH. BRITAIN FOR EXAMPLE, HAS
TAKEN FEWER THAN 3,000 TO DATE, SWEDEN, WITH A HIGH LIVING STANDARD,
LOW POPULATION DENSITY, AND A HISTORY OF MORAL POSTURING ON VIETNAM, HAS TAKEN FEWER THAN 2,000. THE REST OF WESTERN EUROPE, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF FRANCE, HAS DONE NO BETTER
AT A RECENT GENEVA
CONFERENCE ON THE PROBLEM, A FEW COUNTRIES PROMISED TO INCREASE THEIR INTAKE OF REFUGEES. BUT THE MOST SIGNIFICANT INCREASES WERE
PLEDGED BY THE FEW THE US, FRANCE, AND CANADA THAT ALREADY ARE DOING THE MOST. OF THE OTHERS ONLY WEST GERMANY (12,000 MORE) AND BRITAIN (10,000, MAINLY TO RELIEVE THE BURDEN ON ITS CROWN COLONY, HONG KONG) MADE SUBSTANTIAL ADDITIONAL COMMITMENTS. THAT IS NOT
ENOUGH. PRINCIPLES OF INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATION SUGGEST THAT THE
REST OF THE NON-COMMUNIST WORLD SHOULD SHARE THE BURDEN. DECENCY
DEMANDS IT. UNQUOTE.
ROBINSON
FILES
SEAD
1K & GD
PS
760
ADDITIONAL DISTRIBUTION BOAT PEOPLE
UND
FED
EESD
NAM D
SAD
HAED
EID
FUSD
OID
IPD
PS/LPS
PS/MR HURD PS/MR BLAKER
PS/PUS
SIR A DUFF
SIR A PARSONS
MR CORTAZZI
MR MURRAY
MR STRATTON
LORD NG LENNOX
NEWS D MVD
MR FERGUSSON
11R FRETWELL