TNAG-0128-FCO40-164-Development-aid-1969 — Page 11

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Mr. J.C. Morgan

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Increased Aid for Dependent Territories

This is to confirm our telephone conversation of 29 October. Mr. Porter, the Chief Economist of 0.D.M., has spoken informally to Mr. Holland about our wish that more aid should be allocated to dependent territories. Mr. Porter has said that his Minister was sympathetically disposed to this but O.D.M. would now like us to put forward some positive ideas on how increased aid might be applied in terms of projects and countries. Mr. Porter proposes that as a first step in the F.C.O./O.D.M. dialogue on this there should be discussion between economists, namely between himself and Mr. Holland. O.D.M. should as a result of their Development Division in the Caribbean and of their recent aid mission to the Seychelles have ideas of their own on projects but it is clearly desirable that Mr. Holland should be in a position to put forward positive ideas from this side rather than simply to comment on O.D.M.'s 'ideas.

2.

You said that you would call a meeting of your Departments in order to get out a list of priorities and projects in dependent territories (and I think the Associated States should also be included). If it is possible for you to do this in the course of next week I would suggest that we should have a follow-up meeting in my office on, say, the afternoon of Monday, 10 November, in order to discuss the line which Mr. Holland should take with Mr. Porter, I propose that in addition to yourself and Mr. Holland, Mr. O'Brien should attend this meeting.

3. Even if increased aid is made available, it is unlikely to be sufficient to cover every project which is in the offing. It would therefore be helpful if your people could have well in mind the need for projects to have a good developmental content.

Copies to:

Mr. Holland Mr. O'Brien

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نے تاسیسیان

(W. I. Combs ) 30 November, 1969

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