TNAG-0506-FCO40-571-Review-of-narcotics-problem-in-Hong-Kong-1974 — Page 66

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Peking with a view to getting the Chinese Government to exert pressure on the Burmese Communist Party White Flag Insurgents who control much of the most fertile opium growing regions east of the Salween River to put a stop to the practice.

We mooted this two years ago. It has attractions quite obviously but it is largely a matter of timing and approach. China not having an illicit drug problem its thinking on the subject and the priority it might accord to an intervention of this sort are likely to be very different to what would suit our book best; and China has a vested interest in promoting Communist led insurgency in bordering countries for political ends. My view is that China has as a present objective the establishment of Burmese Communist Party domination over the broad strip of the Shan State west of its frontier to the Salween River, and to this end gives substantial but covert direction and moral and material support to the B.C.P. to enable military advantage to be taken of the ground situation as opportunity offers. The purpose is to bring Communist orientated order and stability to a remote and exposed limitrophe flank and to push further away from its western frontier the plethora of anti- Communist insurgent groups pervading the region thus reducing the opportunities for C.I.A. and Tai Wan spying and other forays into China itself. For them it is a matter of improving national security. To this end the Chinese may not consider the time ripe to risk alienating the fierce and primitive tribesman and others upon whom the execution of this policy depends by enforcing a ban on opium growth traditional there for so long and a principal source of livelihood.

I told Vance that I thought any initial overtures to China about drugs licit and illicit should come from the President of tha International Narcotics Control Board operating from neutral ground at an opportune moment and not in a bilateral way. He agreed with this and I have no doubt he will work on Paul Reuter to try to get him to open the batting if he has not done so already.

You will recall from my (97) in NS 50/76/980 of 2nd October that I mentioned the sorry state of affairs at the Division at Geneva. Vance had plenty to say about this yesterday. Sten Martens he described as a nice man but very weak and lacking in leadership and administrative ability. He is very frustrated apparently and I am not surprised since apart from my own observations, Vance related a disgraceful tale of dissension and hostile personality clashes which can only be doing the United Nations and what it stands for great harm. What a pity; how can good work be expected from those in the field if incohesive disorder and confusion prevails at headquarters and this is known as it must be. Few care to oppose Liselotte Waldheim-Natural I gather on account of who she is, being afraid for their jobs, even though her advice is said to be wanting in acumen and good judgement as often as not. In these circumstances I cannot see Sten staying very long. I guess the Americans may try to get Harvey Wellman appointed in his place in due course;

he is reported to be a strong and able administrator.

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