TNAG-0054-FCO40-90-Proposal-for-a-Polytechnic-in-Hong-Kong-1968 — Page 4

HWB 9/14

COMMONWEALTH OFFICE,

London, S.W. 1.

7 October, 1968

19

I enclose a copy of a note prepared by the O.D.M. following the meeting we had there with members of the Hong Kong University Grants Committee to discuss the Polytechnic. A copy of the note has already been supplied to Michael Herries. The note strikes me as being a slightly turgid document but it does reflect, in the main, the tenor of the discussions at the meeting, The main suggestion (which I mentioned to you in Hong Kong) is that the proposed Polytechnic Planning Board should initially take a broader look at the need for a new institution of this type and at the exact field it should cover.

I mentioned to you that there was a possibility of funds being made available for projects in South East Asia with a view to building up our influence in the area at this time of military withdrawal, and that I had entered the Polytechnic as a possible candidate for such funds. I handed you a copy of the pro-forma application that I had put in at this preliminary stage. You will see that it draws on an earlier idea of yours that H.M.G. might help to finance an institution of this kind in return for a proportion of the places each year being reserved for students from other countries in the region. I understand that the project has, on this basis, been accepted as a possible candidate for assistance, but that no decision on the availability of funds for this purpose is likely to be taken before the end of this year.

His Excellency

Sir David Trench, KCMG., MC.

(W. S. Carter)

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