TNAG-0466-FCO40-531-Hong-Kong-s-interests-in-EEC-capitals-1974 — Page 20

G. F. 323

CONFIDENTIAL #B

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機密

The shape of the enquiry and the itinerary

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Prior to my departure from Hong Kong it was indicated to me that we were in for a difficult financial year and the hope was expressed that any proposals I might have on my return would be, from a financial point of view, reasonably modest in nature. Furthermore, during the course of my travels news of the 74/75 Hong Kong Budget filtered through to me and the limitations of finance to support existing information services provided me with further indications that any proposals I might make at this stage would have to be demonstray essential if they were to find favour on my return. In the light of this background I tried hard to convince myself during my investigation that no further change to the pattern of our overseas information effort was needed but I could not come to that conclusion. However these self-imposed financial cautions coloured my approach to the problem and I have returned with what I believe to be a number of minimal recommendations which are essential to the more effective exploitation of existing services.

9. How to measure the 'essential' nature of these recommendations is inevitably a difficult problem, as it is with all information effort. One can establish that there is a gap in the flow of outward information; one can suggest types of information for which there might be a ready market; one can view critically the efforts of other organisations and try and assess the value of the things they think it worth spending their money on; one can detect information gaps being filled by trading competitors - but in the final analysis the question as to whether the price of filling the vacuum is greater than the price of leaving it alone, and whether the filling of it will bring positive results, must be a matter of fine personal judgement.

With this in mind I decided that the priorities of my visit should be:-

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(a) to talk to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and their Embassies and Consulates in the E.E.C., firstly, to enlist their sympathy, understanding and, where feasible, assistance, to a possible increase in the overseas information effort being made by Hong Kong and, secondly, to enquire into what they were doing on behalf of Britain in the same areas to see whether any useful lessons could be learnt by us.

(b) to visit our own representative Government,

Trade Development Council and Hong Kong Tourist Association offices in the various areas and to form a broad impression of their current activities and to decide to what extent their organisations could be further utilised in any new public relations or information initiative which might be mounted by Government.

機密

CONFIDENTIAL # #