TNAG-0242-FCO40-278-Conduct-of-Hong-Kong-commercial-relations-1970 — Page 110

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before to agree with Sir John on this

point._7

4. Sir John commented to me, as he had done the previous day to you, that he found it rather surprising that we had no prepared fall-back position now that the United States seemed certain to decline the proposal which we and the EEC had put to them for four-power talks in Geneva. I said that before all those in London could be expected to give serious attention to some second-best course of action we had had to exhaust the possibilities of the course that seemed to us the best one. I added, and Sir John accepted, that there was in fact still time to prepare a new course though the basic difference between the Hong Kong approach and

that of HMG seemed bound to remain.

-

Copies to: Mr. Gallagher

Mr. Laird

Mr. Heath

влю Bromley

G.R.Q.

J.R.A. Bottomley 26 May, 1970

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