SECRET
believes that a decision on the timing of CBF stepping
down from ExCo should be left to his successor. He
discussed this with the Foreign Secretary during his
visit to London last week. The Governor and the Foreign
Secretary agreed that for the reasons set out in the
Foreign Secretary's minute of 6 January CBF's position on ExCo is in principle anomalous and that a change should
be made well before 1997. But the Foreign Secretary accepted the Governor's judgement that a decision on
timing should be left for the new Governor.
In sum, we now propose that the incoming CBF should take his place on ExCo and that we should await the new
Governor's advice on the timing of any change. I hope
that the Defence Secretary will accept that we should
take the new Governor's advice as to when the change
should be made.
Sir D Gillmore
SECRET