TNAG-0022-FCO40-58-Facilities-for-US-Forces-1968 — Page 100

9.

CONFIDENTIAL

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THE IMPORTANT THING FOR THE AMERICANS CAND FOR US) IS TO

HAVE GUIDELINES WITHIN WHICH TO OPERATE WITH CONFIDENCE. I DO

NOT CONSIDER THERE ARE ANY GROUNDS FOR VARYING THE PRESENT

GUIDELINES, WHICH HAVE WORKED VERY WELL, EXCEPT IN RESPECT OF

NUCLEAR-POWERED SHIPS WHICH HAD NOT VISITED HERE WHEN THE GUIDE-

LINES WERE FORMULATED. I WOULD LIKE IT AGREED IN DUE COURSE THAT THEJE

SHIPS SHOULD BE SPACED AT A RATE OF NOT MORE THAN ONE EVERY TWO

MONTHS AND THAT THEY SHOULD NOT BE FOLLOWED BY A MAJOR UNIT WITHIN

TWO WEEKS. THIS PERIOD WOULD ALLOW TIME FOR SPECIAL REACTIONS TO BE

CONSIDERED AND AVOID SHORT NOTICE CANCELLATION OF THE NEXT VISITS.

I AM SURE WE CAN ARRANGE THIS LOCALLY AND I AGREE WITH WASHINGTON

THAT THIS IS PROBABLY NOT THE RIGHT TIME TO REVISE THE GUIDELINES

FORMALLY.

10. WE KNOW OF NO BASIS FOR THE ALLEGATION BY THE CHINESE GOVERN- MENT THAT HONG KONG HAS BEEN USED BY THE U.S. AS A LOGISTICS BASE.

THE AMERICANS ARE EXTREMELY CAREFUL TO OBSERVE GUIDELINE F.

11. TO SUM UP, I DO NOT CONSIDER THAT, SHORT OF A COMPLETE BAN ON U.S. NAVAL VISITS, IF INDEED EVEN THEN,

ANY REDUCTION IN THE LEVEL OF VISITS BELOW THAT OF THE LAST THREE YEARS WOULD BE OF ANY REAL SIGNIFICANCE ON ASSISTANCE

TO THE IMPROVEMENT OF SINO-BRITISH RELATIONS: IT WOULD ONLY LEAD

TO INCREASING EMBARRASSMENT IN OUR RELATIONS WITH THE AMERICANS.

NEVERTHELESS, I CONSIDER WE SHOULD AIM TO COVER NUCLEAR-POWERED

SHIPS IN THE GUIDELINES AS I HAVE SUGGESTED AND CONTINUE TO REGARD

''ENTERPRISE'' AS A VERY SPECIAL CASE.

12. THE ABOVE DEALS WITH THE GENERAL PROBLEM. I APPRECIATE THAT

SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS MAY HAVE TO BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT IN

CONSIDERING VISITS DURING THE NEXT FEW WEEKS.

74

FO PLEASE PASS PRIORITY PEKING AND WASHINGTON.

*

SIR D. TRENCH

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