TNAG-0309-FCO40-345-Contributions-of-Hong-Kong-for-costs-of-maintaining-military-1971 — Page 161

PRIORITY

CYPHER /CAT A

FM F C 0 211630Z

SECRET

SECRET

(HK)

قت

TO PRIORITY GOVERNOR HONG KONG TELNO 384 OF 21 MAY.

(6) (5)

YOUR TELEGRAMS NOS,249, 253 AND 266: DEFENCE CONTRIBUTION.

1. MY 2 IFT'S CONTAIN THE TEXTS OF (1) A MESSAGE FOR THE UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS AND (11) AN ANNEX TO THAT MESSAGE, IF YOU SEE NO OBJECTION PLEASE CONVEY MESSAGE (WITH ANNEX) TO UNOFFICIAL MEMDERS IN REPLY TO THEIR MESSAGE CONTAINED IN PARAGRAPH 1 OF YOUR TELNO 249.

2. GRATEFUL IF AT APPROPRIATE HOMENT DURING DISCUSSION YOU COULD MAKE FOLLOWING POINTS:-

(A)

(B)

PARAGRAPH 2 OF YOUR TELNO. 266. SEE PARAGRAPH 2 OF MY IFT. YOU MAY IN ADDITION GIVE RODRIGUES AND OTHER UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS CATEGORICAL ASSURANCE THAT IT HAS NEVER BEEN HMG'S INTENTION TO SEEK ANY INCREASE IN THE CONTRIBUTION DURING CURRENCY OF AGREEMENT EXCEPT IN SUCH CIRCUMSTANCES AS MAY BE AGREED IN ADVANCE (IN THIS CONNECTION SEE PARAGRAPH (D) OF MY TELNO 113). BUT WE ARE BOUND TO SAY THAT WE THINK IT UNREALISTIC TO HOPE THAT ANY FIGURE EVENTUALLY AGREED COULD IN PRACTICE BE WHOLLY UNRELATED TO CALCULATIONS. SURELY IT WOULD HAVE TO BE JUSTIFIED BOTH HERE AND IN HONG KONG ON SOME SPECIFIC GROUNDS.

1

PARAGRAPH 2 OF YOUR TELNO 259. I AM NOT ENTIRELY CLEAR ON THIS POINT. IF THE ARGUMENT IS THAT RELATIONS IN THIS FIELD BETWEEN HMG AND THE GOVERNMENTS OF DEPENDENT TERRITORIES SHOULD BE THE SAME AS SUCH RELATIONS BETWEEN HMG AND THE GOVERNMENTS OF INDEPENDENT COUNTRIES IT WOULD SEEM TO FOLLOW THAT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE FULLY RESPONSIBLE NOT ONLY FOR THE INTERNAL SECURITY OF THE TERRITORY BUT ALSO FOR ITS EXTERNAL DEFENCE.

20

/3 I AGREE

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