SECRET
I attach an abridged draft, which still sails close to the wind but which avoids unilateral disclosure of some of the detail, particularly of Chinese positions, but also of the two high-level messages. We hope you can consider whether this might be tolerable. It is self-explanatory, except for the sentences I have bracketed in para 6: I do not know how much importance you attach to volunteering them at this stage to do so might provoke a Chinese megaphone rejoinder which might acvail the process in course. It might be a little better to
include this (and the list of delegation members) as Supplementary material.
On draft 'B', we still see a danger in not clearly distinguishing the agreed statement from our own gloss and (para 7) implying that we would be content only to narrow difcrences between the two sides.
12.
-:
Finally you will be amazed to know that I do not think we can improve on the supplementaries!
་
PF Ricketts Esq
CPF
IIKD
Your ever.
Nizer.
1
N J COX
Counsellor
FCO
(B) CLASSIF FAX: DESKBY, 031200z)