SECRET
MKK0904
RECEIVED IN RA: NO. 51
5 JUL 1983
16
NR
Mr. Flower
PUSD
CONFIDENCE IN HONG KONG
DESK INDEX
1 CM517
See (17) 18)
You will see that the long term work programme for the JIC discussed at the Committee's meeting today still includes a piece "for a later date" on Hong Kong: Confidence in the Economy.
-2. On the basis of Mr. Scaddan's minute of 21 June, I told the Committee that the Governor did not consider that an assessment of this kind would be useful and that the FCO tended to support his view. I also mentioned that Sir E. Youde had provided his own assessment on "Confidence in Hong Kong" as a basis for briefing Ministers.
3. As I expected, my remarks evoked little sympathy. The JIC thought that there would certainly be a degree of expertise in London (e.g. the Bank of England) not available to the Governor, and that there might well be advantage in producing a general paper on confidence in Hong Kong. There was the additional argument that any such paper could be used as a means of stimulating American comment
I should be grateful if you would discuss this with the Department. My own view is that there would be no harm in putting this into the assessments machinery. Indeed, the Governor's paper might well provide the first draft?
(P.R.H. Wright) 23 June, 1983.
cc Hong Kong Dept.
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