1
Mr Hunt
Defence Department
RESTRICTED
FROM: P J Bacon
DATE:
CC:
17 September 1986
PS/Lady Young PS/Mr Eggar
Mr Daunt
Mr Barrington
Mr Lever, Defence Dept
Mr Marsden, EAD
MED
SEAD
HKD
NAD
HOUSE OF COMMONS SELECT COMMITTEE ON DEFENCE. VISIT TO OMAN, THE FAR EAST AND PACIFIC
1. The Clerk, Robert Rogers, spoke to me this afternoon before sending the attached letter and enclosures. Не assumed that since Helen Robins had been handling the arrangements for the visit and I had been on leave I might not be aware of the problems that had arisen. I thought it best not to demur.
2.
In addition to the administrative points covered in the letter, Rogers provided the following background:
a) the Committee had been extremely grateful for our
timely notification that there might be certain misunderstandings within the US Administration.
b) the extent of the misunderstandings revealed in
Harris's letter of 10 September had come as a bombshell. Keith Speed was furious; his credibility was on the line. He was the most paintaking person and it was inconceivable that he had misunderstood his conversations with Lehman to the extent alleged It was, for example, Lehman himself who had suggested that the Committee should travel to Diego Garcia by US transport, rather than from Kenya; this was not something the Committee could have dreamt up for themselves.
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TA6AIX
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