TNAG-0476-FCO40-541-Strength-of-garrison-in-Hong-Kong-1974 — Page 105

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rely, if necessary, on commercial aircraft and commercial

over-flying routes.

Political Implications

5.

Complete abandonment of our commitments and activities outside

the NATO area would have far-reaching implications for our defence

This would further

and foreign policy in general and serious repercussions in other

critical fields. In broad terms it would signal to the world Britain's

unwillingness in future to contribute to world peace and Western

interests through a military presence, except where narrow British

and NATO physical security was directly threatened.

reduce our world standing already damaged by our economic situation

and doubts about cur weight in Allied councils and thus our ability

in influence world events. It would effectively end Commonwealth

links in the defence field. And it would mean the abandonment for the

first time ever of HMG's responsibility for the defence of our dependent

territories, even though some of them are under the potential threat

of external aggression; this would affect our political credibility

and belief in our readiness to honour our contractual and constitutional

obligations.

6. We cannot escape some political, and possibly some commercial,

damage if we make any significant reductions in the non-NATO area.

However, the selective retention of sane commitments and activities,

some of them for only a limited period of time, would enable us to

protect essential British economic interests, eg in Hong Kong, maintain

a valuable contribution to Western activities in areas which our

NATO Allies regard as important, eg Cyprus, provide a minimum level

of activity in support of general British interests and the US

military presence, eg in the Indian Ocean, and honour our obligations

to dependent territories until we have tried to make alternative

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