DSR 11 (Revised)
DRAFT:
CONFIDENTIAL
minute/etter/teleletter despatchingtex
TYPE: Draft/XXX
Reference
FROM:
NHRA Broomfield
DEPARTMENT:
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION|
TO:
Fon Seocotx
Sir C Keeble MOSCOW
Secret
Confidential
Bestristeck
TEL. NO:
Your Reference
Copies to: Sir
Cortazzi, TOKYO Sir P Cradock, PEKING
PRIVACY MARKING
CAVEAT.....
.In Confidence
Enclosures-flag(s).......
SUBJECT: POSSIBLE STOPOVER IN MOSCOW BY PRIME MINISTER
1. The Prime Minister is planning to visit Japan, China
and Hong Kong in September. As you know, by far the
quickest route to Tokyo is via Moscow. We are considering
whether there would be advantage (in addition to the saving
of time) in the Prime Minister taking this route, with a
stopover in Moscow and a possible meeting at the airport
with Soviet leaders, or whether the idea of flying over
the Soviet Union should be ruled out at this stage, for
political reasons. We have not yet consulted Ministers
for the time being
and you should treat this letter very much as contingency
planning and for your own information. at this stage.
3. Our inclination is to leave the options open until
after the NATO Summit in June, in the hope that by then the
overall political atmosphere will be more favourable for
some resumption of East/West talks. (We hope that the
Summit will issue a Declaration which, inter-alia, would
reaffirm the importance of keeping channels of communicati-
on open with the Soviet Union.) We plan to write to No. 10
in thise sense. But before doing so, I should be grateful
for your views on the following questions (insofar as it
is possible for you to form a judgement so far in advance):
/a. do
CONFIDENTIAL