TNAG-0382-FCO40-428-Sterling-assets-and-balance-of-payments-of-Hong-Kong-1974 — Page 106

FOLIO

85

CONFIDENTIAL

Reference

LAAT

Re. REGION

Mr Crowson

RO

8:

17 DEC1973

Mr Stuart

NEXT

STERLING: LETTER FROM MR PC WOO

1.

HKK 5/1

I attach a draft submission covering a possible telegram to the Governor and a letter to Mr P C Woo in reply to the letter he sent to Mr Royle in August. This was originally drafted in November and you will recall that you said it should be held until the Hong Kong Government had accepted the Sterling Guarantee.

2. The purpose of the letter was twofold. It was partly meant to be the reply to his letter which Mr P C Woo appeared to exact despite his having discussed the question with Mr Royle. Secondly, it was to be an opportunity for a "warm message" which the Governor had suggested when he was here in September.

3. The acceptance of the Guarantee was considered to be the natural peg for this. However, in view of the fact that ExCo accepted the Guarantee at the same meeting in which they rejected the Anglo/Italian bid for the under- ground, you may consider it inappropriate to send a

'warm message" at this juncture.

11.

بسم الله الله

M A Goodfellow

13 December 1973

ENC

سه

In view of the Mass Transit decisio

and the

the ungracious native

чика

acceptance of the storking mangements, I wo is the Ministe Ministu

would really wish to turn

the other cheek to a

M. andfellow

again 4,14/10

شما

member of Exco just now?

I am sure that Mr Royle will not wish

wan

Massage

to send a het in put this by.

hove

2.1. hove

13/12

to UnELCO in present weumstances. Ass 14/12

CONFIDENTIAL

DD 145177 219242 500M 4/73 GM 3643/2