TNAG-0137-FCO40-173-Supply-of-political-and-economic-information-to-Hong-Kong-to-1969 — Page 24

ļ

attachat

Reference.

Mr. Carter, (Hong Kong Department)

Your paragraph 5(a).

wid (10

A recent submission (not yet approved) has suggested a slight relaxation in the rule about not passing diplomatic reports about one Commonwealth country to another. I do not think, however, that it would be particularly helpful in this case. What is in mind is that we should be able to give permission, on request, to posts, chiefly in old Commonwealth countries, to pass on occasional pieces of print for the personal information of ministers or very senior officials in the country to which they are accredited. Certainly no regular arrangement, for wider and more automatic distribution such as Mr. Maddocks seems to have in mind, is intended. It is one thing to pass on a confidential report on a Commonwealth country to Mr. Maddocks, for the Governor or Chief Secretary, and another to feed it in to the Government machine. So I think we should maintain, and be seen to maintain the basic convention,

3. But I take the point about our not wanting to deprive H.K. of information that might properly be available.

4. Two suggestions. Firstly, on foreigh print, could H.K. not be given material from posts other than those in her own area? We have argued this elsewhere for other Commonwealth countries. Australia's and Canada's interests, for example, are far wider than their own regions.

5. Secondly, quite apart from what your proposed letter to overseas posts may produce, could not H.K. Department run its own eye over print and telegrams and put to geographical departments and this depart- ment for approval suggestions about particular items of print, letters etc. which might go out. This would give Mr. Maddocks a quicker, supplementary service and, since we had the chance of looking at it first, might make possible some passing on of "Commonwealth" information with suitable safeguards.

Barry Tralla

(B. G. Smallman)

Commonwealth Co-ordination Department

7 July, 1969.

Mr. Carter

hosta

I fee

Myjection

سلام

ما

Djakarta, K.L., S'her, Camberra

Wellington bring information

KHK

asked

to

сбру

Wawand

/Mr.Carter

SWPD

PTO