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CONFIDENTIAL COVERING SECRET
Mr Clift, HKGD
Reference......
(116)
Mr Rushford, Legal Advisers (WH 220)
Mr Partridge, MVD
Mr Ceurvorst, WED
Mr Freeland, Legal Advisers (on return)
cc to:
separate copies HKK 34
Lord N Gordon Lennox
At Ja
PROPOSAL BY HONG KONG TO DESCRIBE BRITISH DEPENDENT TERRITORIES CITIZENS AS 'BRITISH NATIONALS' IN PASSPORTS.
1.
As agreed at last night's meeting with Lord Gordon Lennox we have re-drafted the draft Submission circulated with my minute of 6 September so as to recommend that the Secretary of State write to Mr Whitelaw emphasising the political arguments for meeting the Hong Kong request in full.
2.
The draft letter is a bit long but it seems to me necessary to try to counter the Home Office objections outlined in Mr Hyde's letter of 31 August, and I have had a shot at this despite some sympathy for the Home Office position. For tactical reasons the letter does not mention the possible fallback to amending the general Notes in passports.
3. I understand Lord Belstead, who we agreed should see the papers at the earliest opportunity, is available this week until lunch-time on Friday, tomorrow's engagement outside the office having been cancelled. May I please have your contributions/clearance by close of play today, so that the Submission can be faired and submitted early tomorrow.
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F H Brown
NTD CL 501
213 5159
8 September 1982
comment's passed to Mr. Brown
CODE 18.77
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