TNAG-0022-FCO40-58-Facilities-for-US-Forces-1968 — Page 33

SECRET

GOVERNOR HONG KONG

PEKING, WASHINGTON

PEKING WASHINGTON

POLAD SINGAPORE

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 there is no repeat no need for

a formal review of the existing guide lines.

The necessary points can be made by redrafting

the interpretative notes with the addition of

a note on the visits of muclear vessels.

2. In reaching this decision Ministers consi-

dered most carefully Sir D. Hopson's recommenda-

tion (Peking 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

SECRET

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