15
omit
feel sufficiently strongly about it to take
the initiative by asking that the Government
India should be approached as to reconsiderin
their decision.
Mr. Walton explained that the
Government of India would certainly not
reconsider their decision on their own
initiative and, moreover, that it was very
unlikely that they would do so even if the
Foreign Office took the initiative (which,
as indicated in the previous paragraph, the
Foreign Office is not prepared to do). In
the circumstances, it was felt that the
Foreign Office could only reply to the
Portuguese Ambassador on the lines of the
draft enclosed in No.67.
In view of the general tone of the
Governor's telegram of the 26th August
(No.59), I said that it seemed to me that
the appropriate procedure vis à vis the
Governor of Hong Kong would be for the
Foreign Office to settle with the India
Office and Sir Malcolm Delevingne the terms
of the reply to the Portuguese Ambassador
and that we would then telegraph to the
Governor accordingly.
? Wait until we know what hes
been said to the Portuguese Ambassador.
As regards the question raised
in No.65, Sir Malcolm Delevingne was inclined
to