TNAG-0028-FCO40-64-Relations-with-China-1968 — Page 34

of our telegram No. 334) that the special visits-

would be subject to satisfactory agreement on administrative details between the Political

Adviser and NCNA. A phrase of this sort would ge give some protection agains/- some way towards covering you from charges of bad faith ete. if the Chinese produced a list of such length that it could not be accepted in toto and the whole arrangement broke down in consequence. 4. Your paragraph 4. Would we necessarily want to refer at this stage to a single visit? Clearly it would have to be understood that the re could only be one set of Chinese visits in exchange for one visit to Grey. But if we achieve a visit to Grey on the basis now suggested, we might well want to try to repeat the pattern on a future occasion or occasions. We feel therefore that in endeavouring to mount this operation we should use language which would imply neither that we were thinking purely and simply in terms of a once for all operation, nor that we were intending it necessarily to be a precursor of others to

follow.

1

5. Your paragraph

We agree, We

you should make this point

exchanges with NONA

5. Your paragraph 5. We think that it may be

necessary for the visits all to take place

within a reasonably short period of time, since

the Chinese may refuse access to Grey until the visits have all been made or at any rate

arranged. We feel that your point should not

be made to the Chinese until we know whether or

not the numbers involved make spacing a necessary stipulation.

My 23 Feb.

(8430 Dd.033246 600m 9/66 G.W.B.Ltd. Gp.863

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