C.S. 41A
2600078
30,000-1/67-B52117
CONFIDENTIAL
COVERING SECRET
262
REF. SCR 15/5061/49II
Dear Bunny,
U.S. Naval Visits to Hong Kong
COLONIAL SECRETARIAT
LOWER ALBERT ROAD
HONG KONG
3rd October, 1968.
On 25 September we had the second meeting here with the Americans to discuss the revision of the Guidelines and Interpretative Notes (Hong Kong telegrams Nos. 1012, 1048 and 2045 and Commonwealth Office telegram No. 1412).
260
2.
257
The participants on the American side were Ed Martin, the American Consul-General, Jacobson, his Deputy, Capt. Gore, the U.S. Naval Liaison Officer, and his Assistant.
3.
car.
On our side the participants were Cdre. Wilson, Lt.Cdr. Robb, myself and Robin McLaren.
4.
us.
The discussion centred almost entirely on nuclear powered ships which remain the only points still at issue between
Martin began by emphasising the large number of nuclear power plants of one kind or another now in service in the U.S. and the U.K. and the desire of the U.S. Navy to avoid any discrimination between nuclear powered ships and other ships. Secondly, he said that in the American view nuclear submarines created fewer problems than nuclear surface vessels. The U.S. Navy hoped that any restrictions we felt obliged to place on nuclear powered vessels would be limited to surface ships. He also expressed the hope that the granting of visas to all those members of our Mission in Peking who had applied meant that there was now less pressure to impose restrictions upon American ship visits.
5.
I replied that we agreed with the Americans about the normality of nuclear power and shared their desire to have no discrimination against nuclear powered vessels, but that we had to take account of the fact that nuclear powered vessels did cause us special trouble with the Chinese Government. I also argued that our proposals about American naval vessels were not inspired only by the difficulties we had had over exit visas but arose from our general policy of trying to avoid trouble with China where we reasonably could.
/Contd.
A
W.S. Carter, Esq., C.V.O., Dependent Territories Division, Commonwealth Office,
LONDON, S.W.1.
Replied
tu.
معاما
No.1550
6 Hong Kang
on 25/10/68.
CONFIDENTIAL
A..
IN
- 80017760
HWB 2/1
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.