TNAG-0058-FCO40-94-Armed-Forces-exercise-Caricature-1967 — Page 11

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General McNeill

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The position about Exercises is that once

year we get a Schedule from the Ministry of Defence

seeking approval in principle but making it clear

that specific clearance for each individual

Exercise will be sought later at the appropriate

time.

The latest Programme of Exercises which we

received was COS.121/66, dated 18 November, 1966.

Paragraph 10 of this paper reads:

"Political Approval

10. The Exercises in Appendices 1 and 2

have been cleared in principle by the

political departments concerned, but specific

political approval will be sought in the

normal way during the course of planning."

This programme covered the period 1 April, 1967 to

31 March, 1968 and is, therefore, outside the period

of Exercise "Caricature".

Looking back on the file I see that

COS.2750/21/12/65, which we received on 23 December,

1965, was the paper listing Exercises due to be

held in the period 1 April, 1966 to 31 March, 1967

- in which period, of course, Exercise "Caricature"

falls. At this time the Colonial Office Defence

Department was still in existence, but in fact

there seems to be no mention of "Caricature"

in the Schedule.

In the past I have not always referred the

Schedule of Exercises to each geographical department

in view of the clearly stated obligation to seek

an emly

subpiqued by

plauning,

specific political clearance at early stage of play.

I have consulted desks where there seemed an obvious

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