TNAG-0147-FCO40-183-Exports-of-textiles-to-United-States-of-America-1969 — Page 149

FCO40 Hong Kong Department Records 聯邦事務部香港部檔案 All

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on what?

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agreements on particular types of textiles. We might reasonably hope that if the Japanese do show signs of weakening we should have sufficient notice to get in our message to the President before irrevocable damage was done. I understand that the Board of Trade are writing to our Embassy in Tokyo to ask them to be sure to keep us fully posted of developments there. Meanwhile the soundings about a GATT study would make it more difficult for the Americans to justify precipitate unilateral action.

9.

In the circumstances my own feeling is that we might be well advised to wait until there are signs that the Americans are much nearer the brink than they are at pains to try to make us believe is the position at present.. But there are obvious dangers of over-estimating the degree of bluffing in all this and the Embassy in Washington must be the right people to advise.

10.

?

My conclusion is that some of the above thoughts might be passed to our Embassy in Washington, possibly in the form of a letter from the FCO to, say,

Mr. Midgley with the objective of getting the Embassy to give further, thought to the whole problem and

· let us have their further comments in the light of

the most recent developments in Geneva. I understand however that. the Board of Trade are also doing a number of internal studies and we should not risk crossing wires by launching an initiative in Whitehall in advance of the completion of these studies with which, I imagine, we shall be kept in close touch.

གྭཐཾ པརྡ

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Piilitehead

(G.S. Whitehead)

17 October 1969

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