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32
Permanent Under Secretary
Hong Kong
Long-Term Study
During your absence in Lagos I made a brief report on
When I
my visit to Hong Kong at the Under Secretaries' meeting yesterday. This provoked enquiries about what thought was being given to the long-term future of Hong Kong. mentioned that a long-term study had just been agreed interdepartmentally under the aegis of the Cabinet Office it was thought that there would be advantage in the paper being circulated to the Planning Committee so that at the least they could have the opportunity to comment on the briefing to be provided for the Secretary of State.
2.
You will recall that at your request a copy of the draft as it then stood was submitted to you on 6 February and that the covering minute stated that it was expected that the paper would be agreed interdepartmentally at the official level during the course of the month and would then be submitted direct to the Hong Kong Ministerial Committee.
Interdepartmental agreement has subsequently been obtained and the final version, a copy of which I attach in substitution for the earlier one sent to you, has been circulated to members of the Defence Review Working Party who were charged with its production and is now ready for submission to the Secretary of State and circulation by him to the Ministerial Committee under an appropriate covering note which has yet to be drafted.
3.
The final version of the paper represents the agreed outcome of consultations between the Treasury, DEA, Ministry of Defence, Cabinet Office (including Assessment Section), the Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Donald Hopson and ourselves.
4.
You will recall that because of its extremely sensitive nature knowledge of the paper has throughout been restricted to the minimum. In Hong Kong the Governor, CBF and Political Adviser know of its existence. I feel therefore that I need your specific approval before the paper or any part of it is circulated to the Planning Committee.
/5.
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