CONFIDENTIAL
DSR 11C (Revised 5/87)
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION
Top Secret
Secret
Confidential
Restricted
Unclassified
PRIVACY MARKING
In Confidence
particularly keen.
British archives relate to
British history as much as to that of the other
countries concerned.
The Canadians who made a
similar request in 1981 for an original copy of
the British North America Act 1867 eventually
accepted a facsimile copy of the Act on the lines
of the facsimile copy we have given to Australia.
The arguments for special treatment for the
Australians apply with equal force to the
Canadians. An additional factor that also
concerns us is that the Chinese have asked us for
all our records concerning Hong Kong. The
precedent set by handing over the Australian
Constitution Act would make it more difficult to
resist Chinese pressure for UK records.
Distribution:
SPD
LRD
CRD
CCD
NAD
SAD
PS
PO 2AAW
PS/Mrs Chalker
PS/Lord Glenarthur
PS/PUS
Mr Gillmore
Mr McLaren
Legal Advisers
Lord Chancellor's Office
CONDI DENOTAT