WOSHFO 030/29
GRS 200A
SECRET
SECRET
Entir
(493)
2913.5
TELELETTER
FROM D M D THOMAS, WASHINGTON
FOLLOWING FOR A E DONALD ESQ, CMG AUSS, FCO
COPIED TO R MCLAREN ESQ, CMG HONG KONG
SIR P CRADOCK KCMG, PEKING
DATED 28 OCTOBER 1983
BRIEFINGS ON HONG KONG.
HKK040 5
RECEIVED IN REG.S' SY
Li
1983
the
(491) 1.
SIR PERCY CRADOCK'S TELELETTER OF 20 OCTOBER.
I AGREE THAT THERE WAS A DANGER OF OUR GETTING BEHIND IN OUR
See (494
499
BRIEFING OF THE AMERICANS, BUT I THINK THAT HAS NOW BEEN RECTIFIED (601)
BY MR LUCE'S USEFUL DISCUSSION WITH WOLFOWITZ ON 26 OCTOBER, WHICH WILL BE FOLLOWED BY YOUR OWN VISIT IN A MONTH'S TIME.
2. THE RECORD OF MR LUCE'S TALK WITH WOLFOWITZ WILL REACH YOU SHORTLY FROM HIS PRIVATE OFFICE. IT WAS HELPFUL NOT ONLY IN HAVING
BROUGHT WOLFOWITZ PRETTY WELL UP TO DATE, BUT ALSO IN CONFIRMING
THAT US POLICY REMAINS STEADY AND SUPPORTIVE, WITH NO DISPOSITION
TO INTERVENE. WOLFOWITZ ALSO HAD ONE OR TWO USEFUL IDEAS WHICH
YOU MAY WISH TO CONSIDER.
3. I SHOULD BE INTERESTED TO KNOW WHAT PERCY CRADOCK HAS IN MIND
IN SPEAKING OF CONCRETE HELP FROM THE AMERICANS. SO FAR, AS
WOLFOWITZ CONFIRMED TO MR LUCE, SHULTZ HAS NOT GONE BEYOND MAKING
ONE OR TWO COMMENTS TO THE CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER ABOUT THE
FRAGILITY OF CONFIDENCE. IF YOU HAVE IN MIND TRYING TO SECURE
CONCRETE COMMITMENTS FROM THE AMERICANS ABOUT ECONOMIC ARRANGEMENTS
IN THE FUTURE DESIGNED IN EFFECT TO BE USED AS SMALL CARDS IN THE
NEGOTIATION (AS SEEMS TO BE IMPLICIT IN THE PENULTIMATE SENTENCE
OF PARA 2 OF PERCY CRADOCK'S TELELETTER) YOUR TALK WITH WOLFOWITZ
NEXT MONTH WOULD BE A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO TEST THE WATER.
SIGNED S J GOMERSALL
NNNNVO