Mr Strank
SCR 4/1316/72
SECRET
1
24 May 1973
19/2
NOUG
NARCOTICS
LAST
REF.
REF.
103
Thank you for your letter of 1 May (19/2). My telegram No 527 of 14 May to the F.C.0. took up the immediate points. I shall send you a copy of my reply to Michael Wilford's letter of 26 April which is also generally relevant to the issues,
2.
I hope we can get ahead with the posting of officers to your staff. On the assumption that the F.C.O. will agree and that the Thai Government will raise no objection, I am taking steps to find two suitable people. We will try to choose bachelors, which may be of help with your house-keeping problems. We should of course brief the person chosen for Chiang Mai about what to expect from his American BNDD colleague, Rolph's impression of this character coincided with yours, although he gave the impression of being very competent nonetheless.
3.
We of course accept what you say about involving the King. The crop substitution programme is obviously of the first importance, and if it would help to get the King personally committed to it, so much the better. Rolph concluded that much greater resources are needed for the U.N. programme if it is to make any worthwhile impact. As you say, however, markets are a problem. We have been doing what we can since Rolph got back to sell 150 tons of kidney beans grown under the Substitution Programme, We may have found a buyer in Japan but the firm needs all sorts of information which we don't have available. I know that getting forward
Sir Arthur de la Mare, KCMG, KCVO,
BANGKOK.
SECRET
/commitments....
93
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.