TOX SECRET
Nor
(But even then we would have to consider very carefully
whether to admit that we were thinking in terms of evacuation,
because this could dramatically worsen our position and make
the actual task of evacuation that much more difficult).
do I think we could get away with any sort of references to
"normal contingency planning", the details of which we did
not disclose, as a means of playing down or explainiɛg away
the story. part from the risk that this would simply be
taken as confirmation, which is what we think would happen,
it has to be remembered that there is no contingeppy planning
for evacuation from depencent territories. This is because
our responsibility for those territories is complete and all-embracing - it is not limited simply to expatriates from the United Kingdom. I think this essential difference between our relationship with a dependent territory and our relationship with, say, Eastern Nigeria is fairly widely appreciated, certainly amongst the more responsible press people; and if we tried to shelter be ind a general phrase such as "normal contingency planning" we could easily get led into highly awkward and embarrassing further questions.
We feel therefore the story would have to be denied, and
I enclose, in the form of a draft note for Press Officers, our suggestions as to how this might best be done. I would be very grateful for any comments you or Ned Dunnett may have.
TUP SECRET
(SGD.) J. J. SAVILLE GARNER
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