(17259) Dd.897459 250m 12/72 G.W.B.Ltd. Gp.863 (16941) Dd.897300 250m 9/72 G.W.B.Ltd. Gp.863
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CONFIDENTIAL
them and those of Hong Kong wherever there may be a
conflict.
2. We have in the present Governor a man who knows
Whitehall better than any of his predecessors and is
therefore predisposed to be understanding of our
positions and demands. I therefore think that we
should try to help him when we can in meeting his
preoccupations. The difficulty is that the issues
which arise may well affect only one of our several
Departments, and in each particular case there may
seem an irrefutable case for pursuing the selfish
United Kingdom interest. But when several such issues
arise at the same time, each perhaps not of overriding
importance in itself, the cumulative load on the
Governor's shoulders could become more than he can
bear, bearing in mind that in addition to being the
channel for Hong Kong's views to be conveyed to
London he is also the representative of HMG in the
Colony, receiving his instructions through me.
3. There is at the moment a complex of problems all
of which may fall due for resolution at much the same
time. Unless we are very careful, we may find our-
selves deciding on courses of action all of which are
opposed by the Government of Hong Kong and/or by public
opinion there. The most vital of these from both
our points of view is the Sterling Guarantee
Agreements.
[Insert section on Sterling Agreements
when known.]
CONFIDENTIAL
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