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C
ccrctory & State 167
FROM: A R Paul
Hong Kong Department
DATE: 9 March 1990
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cc: PS/Mr Maude
PS/PUS
Mr Gillmore
HD 34@/McLaren
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY Burns, News Department
1 1 MAY 1990
Special Advisers (2)
RECIS
Mr Fifoot, Legal Advisers
DESK OFFICER INDEX
PA
Private Secretary
HONG KONG ASSURANCES
A 1. I attach a draft OD (K) paper by the Home Office, which has been
revised to take account of the Prime Minister's views. The Home
office had originally wanted to circulate this paper today, but
have been persuaded delay this.
2. We have had a number of discussions with Home Office officials
today about the content of the paper, including a useful meeting
with the Governor and Mr Anthony Langdon, the senior Home Office
official involved. This enabled Sir D Wilson to explain his concern
about the effect of the modifications which to the scheme which have
emerged from the Prime Minister's meeting.
Special Reserve Category
3. We discussed with the Home Office the merits of the idea of a
Reserve Category, along the lines agreed at the Secretary of
State's lunch for the Governor, as recorded in Mr Peirce's minute
of 9 March. Mr Langdon undertook to report our ideas. But his own
assessment of the Home Secretary's likely reaction was that:
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his overriding concerns would be to ensure the success ful passage of the Bill through the House; and to take account of his
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