TNAG-0308-FCO40-344-Contributions-of-Hong-Kong-for-costs-of-maintaining-military-1971 — Page 58

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3.

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L

(44)

ADDITIONALLY, THE FOLLOWING POINTS WERE MADE:

(A)

(B)

(C)

INSUFFICIENT RECOGNITION HAD BEEN GIVEN TO THE FACT THAT

THE 1966 CONTRIBUTION HAD BEEN AGREED TO CONSIST OF AN

ANNUAL SUM OF POUNDS ONE AND A HALF MILLION PER ANNUM

PLUS A SPECIAL ADDITION OF POUNDS THREE AND A HALF VILLION PER ANNUM (SEE PARAGRAPH 2 OF THE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING DATED DECEMBER 1966). THE PROPOR- TIONATE INCREASE (TO POUNDS EIGHT AND A HALF MILLION PER ANNUM) WAS THEREFORE VERY MUCH GREATER THAN

WAS BEING REPRESENTED.

#

REFERENCE PARAGRAPH 8 OF THE UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS' MEMOR-

ANDUM AND PRAGRAPH 6 OF YOUR TELEGRAM NO. 236. IT WAS CONCEDED THAT THERE MIGHT BE NO OFFICIAL RECORD OF THE

VERY STRONG INDICATIONS THAT ASSISTANCE WOULD BE MADE

AVAILABLE WHICH WERE GIVEN IN 1966, BUT THOSE PRESENT

IN 1966 VERY CLEARLY REMEMBERED THAT THEY HAD BEEN GIVEN

SEMICOLON THAT THEY HAD BEEN PERSUASIVE SEMICOLON AND

THAT UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS HAD RELIED UPON THEM WHEN

AGREEING TO THE 1966 INCREASE. WHILE ASSISTANCE OF

THIS KIND WAS LESS IMMEDIATELY NECESSARY NOW, NEVERTHE

LESS THE UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS WERE UPSET THAT THE ASSUR- ANCES WHICH HAD BEEN GIVEN SHOULD HAVE

BEEN IN THEIR VIEW, OVER-LIGHTLY REGARDED,

t

M.

IN RELATION TO PARAGRAPH 9 OF THEIR MEMORANDUM, I USED

THE FIRST TWO SENTENCES OF PARAGRAPH 9 OF YOUR TELEGRAM

NO. 235 AND UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS WERE PERHAPS SLIGHTLY

MOLLIFIED AT THIS RECOGNITION OF KAI TAK'S VALUE TO HMG.

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(D) THE INSUFFICIENCY OF THE REPLY TO PARAGRAPH 10 OF THE

MEMORANDUM WAS POINTED OUT SEMICOLON BUT I DID NOT USE

THE ARGUMENTS IN PARAGRAPHS 19 AND 11 OF YOUR TELEGRAM

NO. 235 AS TO DO SO WOULD NOT HAVE HELPED (MY TELEGRAM NO. 225 PARAGRAPH 3(E) REFERS),

(HH)

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Bo

(E)

UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS WOULD WELCOME SOME COMMENT ON PARA-

GRAPH 11 OF THEIR MEMORANDUM (1 IMAGINE MR.HEATH WAS

SPEAKING IN TERMS OF GENERAL DEFENCE FOLICY EAST OF SUEZ RATHER THAN SPECIFICALLY IN RELATION TO HONG KONG, BUT NOT HAVING BEEN PRESENT I WAS NOT IN A POSITION TO

COMMENT).

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