TNAG-0021-FCO40-57-Facilities-for-US-Forces-1968 — Page 83

HWB 2/1

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Curtis Green,

23 January, 1968

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Will you please refer to your letter No. DS.11/12/23 of 19 January to Mound.

Although I have no objection to the content of the last paragraph of your proposed draft reply to Huxtable, I suggest that it might be advisable to be a little more forthcoming. The following suggested redraft is rather long, but you may consider it worth while using parts of it at your discretion:

"You referred to the leave facilities we grant to United States servicemen in Hong Kong. Since the end of the second World War, United States naval vessels, in common with the naval vessels of other nations, have frequently visited Hong Kong for rest and recreation. We cannot agree with your Committee's view that the provision of these 'rest and recreation' facilities represents support for the prosecution of the Viet Nam war. We have, of course, carefully weighed the significance of Chinese protests, but taking into account all the considerations that bear on this matter, we think it right that we should provide these facilities".

C.H. Henn, Esq.,

Ministry of Defence.

Sgd

A.W. GAMINIARA

Me 23

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