TNAG-0022-FCO40-58-Facilities-for-US-Forces-1968 — Page 20

JH/adj

31.vii

GOVERNOR HONG

SECRET

KONG

GOVERNOR HONG KONG

2х6

PEKING, WASHINGTON,

PEKING

WASHINGTON POLAD SINGAPOKE

POLAD SINGAPORE

Your telegram No. 883: U.S. Naval Visits to

Hong Kong.

Ministers agree that in the light of

Washington telegram No. 2062 and your telegram

under reference our objectives can be achieved

by redrafting the interpretative notes with the

addition of a note on the visits of nuclear ves-

sels, without a formal review of the existing

guidelines.

2. In reaching this decision Ministers consi-

dered most carefully Sir D. Hopson's recommend a-

tion (Paking telegram No. 607) that visits of

large or nuclear vessels should be reduced to one

a month. They fully accept that there may be

increased Chinese sensitivity to such visits at

present, but see force in your argument that

nothing short of a total ban or very drastic

reduction in visits would be likely to contri-

bute towards a significant and permanent

improvement in Sino-British relations.

3. You should now approach the Americans and

seek their agreement to a revision of the

SECRET

./inter- pretative