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Reference.
Mr. J. Murray (F.E.D.)
Mr. D. F. Murray (S.E.A.D.) Mr. Smith (Northern Department)
Mr. Barnes (W.0.C.D.)
Mr. R. A. Sykes (Defence Department)
Mr. Duff (S. Asia Department)
Mr. Reed (F.E. & Pacific Department)
Foreign Office
Commonwealth Office
SE
Mr. Carter (Hong Kong Department)
(separate copy to each)
Long Run Trends in Asia
Sir Edward Peck and I are due to attend a meeting in the Netherlands on 8-12 October of the Atlantic Policy Advisory Group. As you may know, this is a body of planners from most of the NATO countries (including the United States), which meets on a very informal basis twice a year.
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The theme for the October meeting is 'Long Run Trends in Asia and their Implications for the NATO Countries' and, in accordance with custom, we have undertaken to put in a paper in advance. Normally the subject folls basically to one Department in the Foreign Office, which therefore kindly produces the paper. In the present instance the subject is very wide and the Planning Staff have therefore produced the attached outline of a paper. The general scheme of this has been approved by Sir E. Peck but the actual draft does not set out to be more than a sketch of the sort of shape the final paper might take. We hope the departments can help us to make it as substantial as possible. should therefore be very grateful to have your comments on it.
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In commenting, I hope you will take into
account that:
(i)
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the paper is stated to be in the nature of a personal essay and should not be regarded as necessarily reflecting the views of the Foreign Office or Her Majesty's Government'; this intentionally gives scope for a more literary, crystal gazing and, in places, provocative effort that would be possible in a normal British position paper;
(ii) papers for APAG are usually only about six-eight single-spaced foolscap pages long, i.e. about 15-20 double-spaced draft sheets and the final paper can therefore not bech longer than the attached draft; any
(iii) this limitation means it cannot be a study in depth and as a long-term paper designed mainly to stimulate discussion, it
inevitably poses more questions then it answers;
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/(iv)
No comments yet.
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