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Mr. Paskin.
I have attached Mr. Thomson's promotions file which contains the despatch that you referred to.
In the first place we have virtually no service candidates for an Economic Secretary post with Eastern experience to propose. Economic Secretaries are rare creatures and I doubt if those that we have without Eastern experience can be regarded as strong candidates for a post in Hong Kong.
Secondly as to Mr. Thomson we have nothing here about the doubts that have been expressed about him except what Sir Alexander Grantham has said. There was no suggestion affecting his integrity or reputation in Nigeria; only his power of leadership was in question. It would seem to be a moment when we can only report that we have no bright idea.
con
4.1.50.
In the circumstances, I suggest that Sir H. Poynton should now reply to No. 10 on the following lines:-
(a) We agree that it would uneconomical to have an Economic Secretary, or a Deputy Secretary (Economics), in addition to the Head of the Department of Commerce and Industry, and we agree that the Head of that Department should in fact be the Governor's adviser on Economic Affairs.
(b) Ask the Governor for further information (as in (2) and (3) of Mr. Sidebotham's minute of the 29th December) as to the extent to which the Department has been organised in accordance with the recommendations in the enclosure to No. 10; and
/ (c)