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his heavy dependence on his local staff. He looks forward to meeting someone from the Embassy on the next routine visit to Shanghai.
British Petroleum
6. I was invited out to the BP headquarters for dinner and met a number of the staff as well as some of the Decca technicians. They told me that they had had some very positive readings from their latest seismic surveys and they expected the first drilling to take place on or about 22 July. This however would be entirely experimental. I was told that Decca had on 27 June agreed in principle to the sale of their four radio and one moni- toring station to the Chinese Government. Tricky negotiations were expected because BP owned the buildings and fittings whilst Decca owned the equipment. The impression I had was that BP clearly expect to be in China for a considerable time and they are keen to extend their present headquarters either by building on the existing site or on a site adjacent to the present compound. The Chinese have complicated the situation by asking them to share their buildings with some of the other oil companies who are partners in the operation. Local BP management are resisting this as being undesirable in principle but were, I think, awaiting a reaction from London.
The Vosper Family
A
7. Frost's telegraphic message to Mrs Vosper reached her success- fully and she did come to try to see me at the hotel, but unfortunately the reception would not reveal my room number. message was left inviting me to dinner chez Vosper on the evening of 28 June. This unhappily clashed with my departure for Hong Kong which could not be postponed. However, I was able to per- suade John Towner of Research Department, who arrived in Shanghai on the morning of 28 June, to keep the appointment in my place. I have spoken to John and he tells me that he found the Vospers in good form and with no particular immediate problems. June Vosper laid on a splendid dinner for him at which her husband, their three daughters and her sister were all present. Mrs Vosper mentioned that her brother was presently in Hong Kong and was hoping either to go to Britain or the United States.
You may
hear further of this when the Embassy is next in touch with the Vospers.
Future Consulates-General in Shanghai and Guangzhou
8. Not surprisingly, all of the British interests whom I contacted in Shanghai raised this question. They thought it sad rather than deplorable that other Western countries were establishing offices in Shanghai and that we were falling behind. Oliver Barnham thought that room for a future Consulate-General could be found in the splendid new bank building mentioned above. I suggested that the offer of an economic rent arrangement might be welcome in London! I should also record that Zheng Yaowen of the Foreign
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