TNAG-0508-FCO40-573-Construction-of-underground-railway-system-in-Hong-Kong-1974 — Page 102

FCO40 Hong Kong Department Records 聯邦事務部香港部檔案 All

9. BUT I AM SURE IT HAS BEEN RIGHT TO HOLD BACK THUS FAR.

SINCE:

A. THE KNOWLEDGE WOULD BE LITTLE PRACTICAL USE TO THE GOVERNOR

UNLESS HE COULD DEPLOY IT IN TALKS WITH FINANCIAL SECRETARY (AS

HE MUST BE TEMPTED TO DO).

B. IT WOULD BE LITTLE COMFORT TO HIM UNLESS IT WAS A FIRM POSSIBILITY

C. IF IT WERE TO SPILL OVER HOWEVER ACCIDENTLY - IT WOULD PROBABLY

QUICKLY SEEP BACK TO JAPANESE AND/OR JARDINES TO IRRITATION OF ONE

AND COMMERICAL ADVANTAGE TO THE OTHER. THIS IN TURN MIGHT PREJUDICE

GEC CHANCES.

D. EVEN IF HE MIGHT PERSONALLY WISH TO DO SO, IT SEEMS UNLIKELY THAT GOVERNOR COULD PUT PRESSURE ON JAPANESE TO USE GEC. AND IF HE WERE TO DO SO IT WOULD BE TO GEC'S NEGOTIATING DISADVANTAGE AND LEAVE THEM IN PRECISELY THE QUOTE FALL GUY UNQUOTE POSITION WE HAVE ALL (I UNDERSTAND) WANTED TO AVOID.

10. AGAINST THIS I STILL CONSIDER THAT WE SHOULD ENSURE THAT

WHENEVER THE GOVERNOR HEARS OF THE JAPANESE GEC TALKS HE SHOULD BE AWARE HOW AND WHEN THEY STARTED AND ALSO WHY THEY HAVE BEEN

CONDUCTED UPSIDE DOWN. THERE IS ALSO THE QUESTION OF PERSONAL

RELATIONS WITH THE GOVERNOR (PARA 8).

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