1
DSR 11 (Revised)
SECRET
DRAFT: Oletter/sister/xdespatxotx
FROM:
Secretary of State
DEPARTMENT:
TEL. NO:
The Rt Hon William Whitelaw
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION
TO:
Top Secret
Secret
Confidential
Restricted
Unclassified
PRIVACY MARKING
CAVEAT..
..In Confidence
TYPE: Draft/Final 1+
Reference
Your Reference
SUBJECT:
T
Copies to:
Private Secretary No 10 PS/Lord Belstead
PS/Mr Rifkind
Blind ces to:
Lord Gordon Lennox
Mr Donald
Mr Clift, HKGD
Mr Partridge, MVD
Sir Ian Sinclair, Legal
Advisers
Advisers
Mr Rushford, Legal
Mr Ceurvorst, WED
There has been an exchange of correspondence between our
departments ending with Wilfred 'Hyde's letter of 31 August
to Kelvin White about the proposal by the Unofficial Member
of the Hong Kong Executive and Legislative Councils that
the term 'British national' should be entered in British
passports issued by the Governor of Hong Kong. Hyde wrote
after reference to you and recorded your strong opposition
to the Hong Kong proposal.
Enclosures-flag(s).......
While I recognise some of the legal and administrative
complications outlined in your letter (to which I will
revert later) I am afraid that there are very strong
foreign policy reasons for agreeing to the Hong Kong
request. These reasons were outlined in White's letter.
I should like to underline them particularly since you
yourself have expressed concern at the possible implication
SECRET
/for