CONFIDENTIAL Reference...
68
Mr Goodfellow (HKIOD)
DTI.
64
$5
AID TO HONG KONG
1.
May I put a further point to you in connection with your minute of 20 September.
2. Mr Haddon-Cave's letter of 17 August spoke of the possibility of the equipment for the Polytechnic being donated by British firms. I do not think that that letter contained any assessment of whether or not British firms would be willing to do this. It may of course be that they would be and that they may have already agreed to do something similar for the technical institutes. But I think the point should be established. It goes to the heart of the commercial case for HMG contributing a large proportion of the finance for the Polytechnic from the aid programme. If we are to carry ODA with us we should have to demonstrate that the Polytechnic would have British equipment in it and that the students in the Polytechnic would therefore be predisposed to use and to buy British equipment themselves. Unless you have other papers bearing on this point, may I suggest that you send a quick letter to Mr Haddon-Cave to establish how well founded is the suggestion that British firms would contribute equipment for the Polytechnic.
こ
d. J Am
D M Kerr
Financial Policy & Aid Dept
25 September 1972
cc: Export Promotion Dept
Cultural Relations Dept A & TD (Mr Cromartie) Economists (Mr Armstrong)
DC 897152 154596 500M 2/72 GM 3643/2
CONFIDENTIAL
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