TNAG-0255-FCO40-291-Contributions-of-Hong-Kong-for-costs-of-maintaining-military-1971 — Page 50

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had been urged upon him that what was really needed was a gesture of warmth and friendliness from HMG to the Colony. Of course the unofficials who took this line also said that such a gesture on the part of HMG would help them to sell the idea of an increased defence contribution to public opinion in the Colony; and they may well have logged in their minds Mr Lee's willingness to examine the possibility of such a gesture as equivalent to some form of "compensation" and no doubt it has with the passage of time hardened up and formalised in their minds in this form.

13.

If you will not mind my doing so, I would add my own personal belief that it would help the negotiations if it were possible for HMG to indicate that Britain would be willing to contribute towards a suitable aid project in Hong Kong. I do not know whether the idea of a technical training institute is worth resuscitating it may even be that Hong Kong themselves have gone ahead and built the institute for their own purposes and from their own resources. If HMG itself cannot make a direct contribution, then maybe there is a project in Hong Kong in which the CDC might care to take an interest we did manage once to persuade the Treasury to allow the CDC to invest in one project in the Colony. It would obviously be necessary to avoid any such gesture on the part of HMG being presented in any sense as "compensation" for an increased defence contribution, because people like C. Y. Kwan and Douggie Clague would undoubtedly try to raise the anti in proportion to the extra amounts you were seeking to prize out of them by way of a defence contribution.

14.

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I hope all this may be of some help to you. Since I am speaking purely from my memory, which is now overlaid by a host of other things (not least mountains of butter, cheese and lamb!) you might wish to show my letter to David Trench to see if it matches his recollection of events. And you might also find it worthwhile letting Alec Cumming-Bruce see it, since he was Fred Lee's Private Secretary at the time and was present on all occasions when Mr Lee talked with unofficials. I believe Alec is now serving in the Ministry of Defence.

Yours ever,

Arthur

(Arthur Galsworthy)

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