CYPHER/CAT A
PRIORITY BRUSSELS
CONFIDENTIAL
TO FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
PRIORITY BRUSSELS TELNO. 33 TO HONG KONG 24 SEFTEMBER 1970
CONFIDENTIAL
2411272
NEUTRAL
83
ADDRESSED TO GOVERNOR HONG KONG TELEGRAM NUMBER 33 OF 24 SEPTEMBER
1979 AND RFI TO UKMIS GENEVA (FOR JONES) UKDEL EC, FCO, AND
HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE, LONDON.
FROM DODGE
COTTON TEXTILES: HONG KONG/ EEC
82
YOUR TELEGRAM NO. 634 TO FCO (A COPY OF WHICH ONLY REACHED
ME TODAY).
YOU SHOULD BE AWARE THAT DORWARD'S DOCUMENTATION DATED 12
SEPTEMBER FOR ERNST ARRIVED HERE YESTERDAY BY DIPLOMATIC BAG
AND I HANDED IT IMMEDIATELY TO RAVENNA : ERNST WAS IN MEETINGS.
! EMPHASIZED THAT THE DOCUMENTS WERE CLEAR EVIDENCE OF OUR
SINCERITY AND SERIOUS INTENTIONS.
2. FOR HIS PART RAVENNA REVEALED THAT HE HAD BEEN TALKING
TO ERNST ABOUT US ON TUESDAY AND, SEEMINGLY AS A RESULT, THE PREPARATION OF DOCUMENTS FOR US WAS BEING INTENSIFIED.
IT MAY BE THAT MY EARLIER WORDS WITH ERNST DID HAVE A
MARGINAL EFFECT.
3. RAVENNA CLAIMED THAT THIS PREPARATION OF DOCUMENTS HAD
BEEN DELAYED BY LEHEMBRE'S ILLNESS AND THAT THEY WOULD
AMOUNT TO A FACTUAL JUSTIFICATION: THE DOCUMENTS SHOULD BE
READY NEXT WEEK. HE ADMITTED (OFF-THE-RECORD) THAT THERE
WERE CERTAIN GAPS: FRANCE IN PARTICULAR HAD REFUSED TO PROVIDE
ANYTHING: AND THERE WAS NO JUSTIFICATION, OF COURSE, FOR
THE INCLUSION OF FABRICS AT ALL: MUCH THE SAME WENT FOR ITALY.
NEVERTHELESS, RAVENNA SAID, THE DOCUMENTS WOULD GO BEYOND
MERE STATISTICS, AND HE IMPLIED THAT THEY WERE REALLY ABOUT
ALL THE EEC COULD CONCEIVABLY DO BY WAY OF JUSTIFICATION
(1.E. IT WAS TANTAMOUNT TO DEMANDING THE IMPOSSIBLE TO ASK
FOR MORE SINCE THE FULL EXTENT OF THE PROPOSED COVERAGE
COULD (UNDERLINE NEXT WORD) NOT BE FACTUALLY JUSTIFIED. WE
WOULD BE ADVISED TO REACT PRAGMATICALLY AND SWALLOW A FEW
THINGS IN VIEW OF THE GENERAL ADVANTAGES OF THE CAKE AS A WHOLE, HE SAID).
CONFIDENTIAL
P.A.
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