TNAG-0308-FCO40-344-Contributions-of-Hong-Kong-for-costs-of-maintaining-military-1971 — Page 223

SECRET

→

4. ON THE CHINESE MEMBERS SIDE ALSO, BUT WITH SUPPORT FROM

OTHERS SOME RATHER HOSTILE REFERENCES WERE MADE TO THE ALLEGED

UNDERTAKINGS GIVEN TO UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS BY MR. LEE IN 1566, AND, AS I UNDERSTOOD THE SPEAKERS, BY LORD SHEPHERD LATER, TO THE

EFFECT

THAT IF AGREEMENT COULD BE REACHED ON THE DEFENCE CONTRIBUTION, HAG WOULD BE READY TO ASSIST FINANCIALLY OVER SUCH MATTERS AS KAI TAK, THE TUNNEL AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE: AND THAT THESE UNDERTAKINGS HAD NOT BEEN KEPT. IT WAS ALSO ALLEGED THAT MR. HEATH HAD WHEN HERE, BEEN SYMPATHETIC. NOT HAVING BEEN PRESENT ON ANY

OF THESE OCCASIONS, I AM UNABLE TO COMMENT, BUT THAT THESE EARLIER REMARKS WERE UNDERSTOOD TO HAVE BEEN MADE IN 1966 AND, IN UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS OPINIONS NOT ENTIRELY HONOURED, SEEMS TO BE SOMEWHAT

RANKLING.

5. I WAS NOT, OF COURSE, ABLE TO MENTION ANY FIGURES TO THEM EXCEPT IN THE WIDEST TERMS SEMICOLON AND THE REACTIONS MAY WELL BE

VERY DIFFERENT WHEN I AM ABLE TO DO SO. I AM AFRAID I CAN NOW DO

NO MORE UNTIL WE GET THE INFORMATION ASKED FOR IN MY TELEGRAM NO.

€. IN ORDER TO ASSIST IN GETTING THE INFORMATION WE NEED STRAIGHT, COULD NOT A TEAM FROM F.C.0., M.C.D. AND TREASURY COME HERE VERÝ SOON TO ENABLE US TO SORT THE FIGURES CUT TOGETHER? A VISIT BY A SIMILAR TEAM IN 1966 WAS MOST HELPFUL IN RESOLVING MATTERS.

TRENCH

FILES

HKD

SIR L MONSON MR WILFORD

2

SECRET

COFIES TO UND (4)

MR E G WHITE, FINANCE, DEPT

E