CONFIDENT IAL
November. He said, as you know, that the Japanese might not be
"sound" since they might be prepared to bargain restraints on
imports into the United States in exchange for the Americans
meeting their point of view on the future of Okinawa. But his
point was that we might find it necessary to have our talks with
the Governor before Sato went to Washington.
4. Mr. Hughes told me that in general he found Hong Kong officials
grumbling that, since the merger of the Colonial Office into the
Commonwealth Office no one in Whitehall understood them and that
their point of view was not given due weight in Ministerial
discussions. I have plenty of ammunition to refute the general proposition that the FCO is not sensitive to "Colonial" issues which
I can deploy in Hong Kong, nor do I think this criticism does justice
to your own Department in the efforts I have seen you make in the past few months on Hong Kong's behalf. I will say this too; if Hong Kong think that their interests are not being properly carried
there clearly is a failure of communication and I will explore what
we can do to remedy this when I am in the Colony. I wonder however
whether in inter-departmental discussion about Hong Kong's commercial policy we do give enough weight to Hong Kong's position as a holder
of sterling and the power this could give her over us. I remember
Sir P. Hancock making the same point some time ago.
Copies to -
Mr. Wilford Mr. Combs
won't
(L. Monson)
9th October, 1969
CONFIDENTIAL
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