RESTRICTED
"If no payment is made by then, I very much regret that we will have no option but to consider stronger measures, which might not exclude requesting the withdrawal of a member of your diplomatic staff with appropriate responsibilities."
There would be a corresponding amendment to the beginning of the last paragraph, which would read:
"I should of course stress that we have no desire whatever to take stronger measures."
The letter for the top ten thus remains significantly tougher than the letter to be sent to the second group of ten, but at this stage no longer amounts to a direct threat that a member of diplomatic staff will have to be withdrawn. It also makes it slightly clearer that any such measure would be directed at a member of diplomatic staff "with appropriate responsibilities", ie a member of the embassy Management Section. This point too could help to limit the scope for retaliation in the unlikely event that the offending embassy did not pay up.
5.
Mr Figgis and Mr Beaumont are content. If Mr Goodlad also agrees, he may wish to pass the papers back to Mr Lennox-Boyd.
!
Stmi
CO Hum
RESTRICTED