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3. THE ONLY ONE OF THESE VISITS WHICH IS LIKELY TO CAUSE DIFFICULTIES
FOR US IS THAT OF 'QUEENFISH' AND, IN VIEW OF THE RECENT FUSS OVER 'SWORDFISH' IN JAPAN AND THE REACTION HERE AND IN PEKING TO THE 'ENTERPRISE' VISIT, I THINK WE MUST ASK THE AMERICANS TO POSTPONE THIS VISIT UNTIL AFTER JULY. ON THE PRESENT PLAN 'QUEENFISH' WOULD OVERLAP WITH 'TICONDEROGA', WHICH WOULD IN ITSELF BE UNDESIRABLE. IT MIGHT ALSO BE PREFERABLE FOR THERE TO BE A GAP OF SEVERAL DAYS BETWEEN THE VISITS OF 'VALLEY FO GE' AND 'BONHOMME RICHARD', BUT THIS CAN BE CONSIDERED NEARER THE TIME. IF 'LONG BEACH' IS NOT COMING WE WOULD NOT
WISH TO OBJECT TO A VISIT BY BOSTON.
4. ON THE QUESTION OF REVISION OF THE GUIDELINES, I SUGGEST THAT IN ADDITION TO THE GUIDLINES ABOUT EVEN SPACING OF VISITS BY LARGE SHIPS, THE E SHOULD BE A NEW PROVISO ABOUT SPACING OF VISITS BY NUCLEAR POWERED SHIPS. THESE VISITS ARE INVARIABLY CONTROVERSIAL AND I THINK IT WOULD NOT BE UNREASONABLE TO ASK THE
AMERICANS TO LIMIT THEIR VISITS TO ONE EVERY TWO MONTHS.
WE HAVE ALREADY HAD FOUR SUCH VISITS THIS YEAR.
5. THE AMERICANS HAVE SHOWN A CERTAIN LACK OF SENSITIVITY IN
THEIR MORE RECENT PROPOSALS FOR LARGE SHIP VISITS. WE HAVE IT IN MIND TO SUGGEST TO THE U.S. CONSULATE GENERAL THAT SITUATIONS IN WHICH CLEARANCE IS REFUSED AT A LATE DATE CAN BE AVOIDED
IF THE AMERICANS THEMSELVES OBSERVE THE SPIRIT OF THE GUIDELINES
IN PUTTING FORWARD PROPOSALS.
PEYING
WASHINGTON
FO PLEASE PASS ROUTINE PEKING AS MYTEL 264, AND ROUTINE WASHINGTON AS MYTEL 71.
SIR D. TRENCH
[REPEATED AS REQUESTED/
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