TNAG-0022-FCO40-58-Facilities-for-US-Forces-1968 — Page 90

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220/8/1

Our reference: Your reference:

3511/4/7/1

MINISTRY OF DEFENCE Main Building, Whitehall, LONDON S.W.I

Telephone: WiMAXXXXXXX

01-930 7022 Ext 2971

Dean Gaminara,

9 July 1968 ۶

We spoke about the attached copy of a letter which my Secretary of State has received from the Reverend John Fuxtable. As you see, the writer encloses a document, the provenance of which is unknown to me, summarising the (I think) latest Chinese protest about United States Naval vists to Hong Kong. I have also enclosed with this letter a copy of Mr Healey's earlier reply to r uxtable, the last paragraph of which has clearly given rise to this further approach.

I am enclosing a possible draft reply for Mr Healey to send, and I should be grateful for your comments on it, and for those of Peter Heap in the Foreign Office to whom I am also copying these papers. As you see the draft follows the line that has been suggested, and in some cases used, in answer to Parliamentary Questions over the past year or two, and with the exception of the passage in square brackets is, I think, as much as we can reasonably say. You may feel that, in the light of the points raised in your telegram number 1252 to Mong Kong of the 2nd July, that the passage in square brackets had better be left out, although I am sure that if we can put it in it would be better to do so.

I should be grateful for an early reply, as I do not think we should delay too long if we are going to give what is after all a pretty cursory

answer.

236

Mr Boyd.

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I would chear this

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Your Swenty

J.M. Stewunt

I have told MV Stewart. That to save time,

you a gore

with

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you before replying.

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with my suggested amendments

the proposed draft retly

A.. Gaminara, Esq Hong Kong Department Commonwealth Office Curtis Green Building S..1.

10

10.7.68.

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