RESTRICTED
POLICY TOWARDS THE DEPENDENT TERRITORIES
1.
The present British Government are fully committed to the
policy followed by successive Governments since 1945 of giving
every help and encouragement to those Dependent Territories which wish to become independent, while not forcing independence on
those which do not want it. Wherever independence is feasible,
we will seek to create the conditions which will make it a
realistic and desirable objective. Where local governments have
made it clear that they do not wish their territories to become
independent, we are content to retain sovereignty for the time being. Obviously some of the provisions set out below do not
apply in those territories where international political
considerations rule out the possibility of independence,
rule it out for the present. In these territories, which
include in varying degrees and circumstances, Hong Kong, the Falkland Islands and their Dependencies and Gibraltar, we will
seek the most suitable arrangements for the territories'
administration. Each case will be considered on its merits,
bearing in mind the constraints imposed by external political
circumstances and the wishes of the local population.
or
RESTRICTED
J