TNAG-0283-FCO40-319-Exchange-of-officers-between-government-of-Hong-Kong-and-UK--1970 — Page 50

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W(B)L 51-7406

CONFIDENTIAL

5.

It would also be useful to know what

Grades of officer you consider the exchanges

might cover. You will be aware that we are

very short of Grade 5A officers (roughly

equivalent to administrative or senior

administrative officers in the age group

thirty to forty); the situation is also

difficult in Grade 7A and 8 (covering the

age groups twenty-two to thirty) because a

large proportion of these junior officers

are on essential training of one sort and

another. This means we could only agree

to second officers to you in these Grades if

we could be sure of getting back in return

officers of high quality from the Hong Kong

Government Service who would be fully up

to performing the duties of a desk officer

in the F.C.O. The situation is a little

better in our senior Executive Grades and

we certainly need officers of these Grades

with experience in Colonial administration

to serve in the dependent territories

Dursun here administration. The question of exchanging

officers in more senior posts above our

Grade 5A level would, I imagine, arise very

rarely and each case would heed to be

considered on its merits.

CONFIDENTIAL