TNAG-0223-FCO40-259-Appointment-of-financial-secretary-of-Hong-Kong-1970 — Page 73

CONFIDENTIAL

This has

been dive

(14)

Perhaps I am being unduly suspicious of the Governor but there are two remarks in his letter which cause me some alarm. The first is in paragraph 2: he says that "Haddon Cave is in line to succeed.

He is a good deal more than that

11

as I understand the situation. He has been proposed by the Governor to succeed Sir J. Cowperthwaite as Financial Secretary in April 1971, and has been accepted by the late Government.

It may be that you will feel that the new Government should be asked to confirm the appointment, but I see little likelihood of our new Ministers disagreeing.

2.

Secondly in the light of what I say above I find it difficult to accept the wording of the Governor's penultimate paragraph:

and I would not wish Haddon Cave himself to be given the impression that there is anything more definite at the present time than a general understanding about the succession to this post. When I lunched with Haddon Cave in Hong Kong in April I don't think that he was in any doubt about the reason why he was going to do this attachment to the Bank of England and to other bodies in London.

3.

Accordingly I would prefer that the Governor should be firmly told that the succession is decided and that we think it only fair that it should be announced before Haddon Cave comes to London (as you said in your letter of 18 February (HKK 1/30) to the Governor). Everyone who is receiving him knows that they are doing so in his capacity as Financial Secretary-designate and it can only lead to embarrassment if this has not been announced.

4. I suggest therefore that, provided Haddon Cave's appointment is acceptable to Ministers and I presume that you will speak, or submit, to Mr. Royle next week on this - I should prefer that the answer to the Governor should be in the form of my alternative draft.

I suspect

Kun wilfão

(K.M. Wilford)

26 August, 1970

that the Gorean in the Tham frank with us.

Given his temperament, your draft might be

would proper in the revised draft below.

any

counter. productive

Dogestin

?

The post place

to try and smoke him out "as

Do you

Ловилися

CONFIDENTIAL 28

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Nome at all. The Traft seems

excellent to me