!
A.C. Galsworthy, Esq.,
Head of the Hong Kong Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, London SW1A 2AH,
UNITED KINGDOM,
1 October 1984
(Dear Tony,)
I do not think that it will prejudice the independence of the Monitoring Team if I send you a quick line by the bag to thank you, Christopher, and (not least) Jane Ann for all that was done to look after me before I left London, and to mention one matter on a contingency basis.
I hope that we are making a satisfactory start here. As you have constantly said, the Press are hyper- active (though in the event I did no more than wave to Simon Winchester in the hotel lobby) and expect one to give answers to questions which one has only just begun to consider oneself,
-
There is one question which Simon Li and I have had to discuss at some length together. This is whether an independent report from the Monitors will carry sufficient conviction if we appear to be two senior VIPs (one scarcely acquainted with Hong Kong), supported only by one Senior Executive Officer and a Senior Personal Secretary, attempting to monitor a relatively large and capable Assessment Office confronted itself with the major task of handling a tidal wave of submissions and responses. But we are not keen to seek more supporting staff; and, as we have been advised, we recognize that, if we did so, the FCO, not the Hong Kong Government, would have to meet the bill.
We have at present concluded that we should not request more staff in support of the modus operandi we have worked out. But, if we were reluctantly compelled to change our minds later and bid for some more staff which could be readily made available here at a cost probably of not more than, say £5,000 a week - I hope that the FCO would respond readily and quickly.
As I have said, a contingency thought only at this stage.
* ^ "questimate".
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as tentatuch discused last work.
(Yours ever,)
(Patrick Nairne)