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we wonder whether it would be possible to get the whole thing back into character and proportions of a normal trade dispute by arranging for Foggon to fly out within next day or two? His mission would be to assist your Labour Commissioner in finding an essentially "labour" solution to the dispute. It would of course be made clear that he was coming out at your request. It would be seen that you and we here were treating the affair as essentially a labour rather than a political matter, and this new element from the outside, and indeed the announcement of it, might conceivably give the Left Wing a face-saving excuse for turning the pressure off and generally de-escalating.
5. If you agree there would be advantage in this line of approach, a possible variant might be for Minister for State to come to Hong Kong with Foggon as one of her advisers. Mrs. Hart would, I know, be perfectly willing to consider this if you thought it would be helpful. But at first sight there would seem to be some difficulty in finding a plausible reason for a ministerial visit at this stage which would not (repeat not) be interpreted by the Left in Hong Kong (and perhaps by the C.P.G.) as a sign of weakness or over-anxiety on our part, or as implying in any way that H.M.G. was critical of local handling of the situation.
6.
7.
Most grateful for your urgent views on foregoing.
Finally, grateful to know whether you think it would be prudent to postpone impending U.S. naval visits?
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