TNAG-0229-FCO40-265-Long-term-study-of-future-of-Hong-Kong-1970 — Page 66

202

Sir L. Monson

Sir S. Tomlinson

TOP SECRET

Separate copies

HONG KONG: LONG-TERM STUDY

の

Flag A

11

See Flag B

HKK 1/16

1968/9.

In March 1969 the Secretary of State circulated to his

colleagues on the Hong Kong Committee a paper on the long-term

future of Hong Kong prepared by a Committee of officials.

paper has not yet been taken by the Committee.

This

In the meantime

we have given further thought in the F.C.0. to the subject and

concluded that the officials' paper perhaps paid too little

attention to the admittedly outside chance that a more cooperative

Government in China in the years to come might make possible some

sort of negotiation with them about Hong Kong's future. If this

were the case it would at least mean that there was a chance of

bringing H.M.G.'s connexion with Hong Kong to a conclusion which

was not wholly unsatisfactory.

For this reason and because of the

extreme length and detail of the first paper it was decided to

prepare a new and more concise document with the object of

identifying the issues on which Ministers would have to take

decisions.

2. I now attach a draft paper which was prepared by Far Eastern

Department and has the approval of Hong Kong Department.

I submit

this for your approval in the first case and thereafter for that

of Lord Shepherd before it goes to the Secretary of State. As

both Lord Shepherd and the Secretary of State are members of the Hong Kong Committee, I hope that we can get Lord Shepherd's

approval before he leaves for Fiji next week,with a view to the

/paper

TOP SECRET