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3.
We have amended the White Paper to take account as far as
possible of the Secretary of State' S comment on the need to avoid any implication that his April announcement of the decision not to seek continued British administration after 1997, was a belated disclosure of a decision already taken (para lv of Mr Rickett's minute of 3 September). We have not highlighted the fact that the
gap was from November to April, but I do not think we can disguise
altogether the fact that there was a gap. I do not in fact think it
would be difficult to justify the gap.
al
A C Galsworthy
6 September 1984
Hong Kong Department
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