TNAG-0359-FCO40-395-Reorganisation-of-Government-of-Hong-Kong-offices-in-UK-1972 — Page 13

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HKK 25710 1968/9-5

Mr Walford

Sir L Lenson

PROPOSED CHANGE OF TITLE FOR THE HEAD OF THE HONG KONG

GOVERNMENT OFFICE IN LONDON

1.

Of the two matters raised by the Governor in his attached

letter to Sir L Monson I have confirmed with Mr Wright that

the questions of a car and flag for him as Head of the Hong

Kong Government Office in London, have been satisfactorily

dealt with on the basis stated in paragraph 2 of the Governor's

letter.

2. The matter of the title of Mr Wright's post was the subject

of considerable thought in 1968, initially in the Commonwealth

Relations Office and subsequently in the combined Foreign and

Commonwealth Office.

3.

Mr Carter's letter to Sir David Trench of 4 October, 1968

to which the Governor refers, was written to give an indication

of the preliminary views of the department on this and related

matters in readiness for discussions which were to be held with

Sir David Trench when the latter visited London later the same

month.

4. The title of "Commissioner" was considered at the time but

it was thought that since there had been a general tendency to apply this title to the representatives of dependent territories

in the latter stages of their path to independence, its use in

the context of Hong Kong might be misinterpreted in the special

circumstances of the Colony. As a result of the subsequent

discussions with Sir David Trench, during which this and other

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