TNAG-0527-FCO40-622-Visit-of-James-Callaghan--Secretary-of-State-for-Foreign-and-1975 — Page 33

(A) IF YOU COULD LEAVE LONDON AS EARLY AS 10 APRIL YOU

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COULD ACCEPT THE FIRST CHINESE SUGGESTION, ARRIVE IN PCKING ON 20 APRIL AND STILL COMPLETE YOUR TOUR IN TIME TO ARRIVE

TOKYO AS APRANGED ON THE EVENING OF 26 APRIL,

(FLIGHT JL 785 LEAVES PEKING 15.24 FOR TOKYO)

(B) IF YOU CAN POSTPONE YOUR RETURN TO LONDON BY TWO DAYS AND IF HONG KONG AGREE, YOU COULD ACCEPT THE SECOND CHINESE SUGGESTION, ARRIVE IN PEKING ON 4 MAY, OFFICIAL PROGRAMME 5 - 7 MAY, PROVINCIAL TOUR 8 10 MAY, PROGRAMME IN HONG KONG

12 MAY AND FLY OVERNIGHT TO LONDON,

(C) IF YOU CANNOT ADJUST YOUR PROGRAMME IN EITHER OF THESE

WAYS WE MAY HAVE TO CONTEMPLATE COMPRESSING THE VISIT TO CHINA.

IF YOU ARRIVE ON A MAY YOUR PROGRAMME IN PEKING WOULD OCCUPY

5 - 7 MAY WHICH WOULD LEAVE TIME FOR A BRIEF VISIT TO ONLY

ONE CITY ON 8 MAY, IN ORDER TO ARRIVE HONG KONG AS AMRANGED

ON 9 MAY. THIS WOULD BE LESS THAN SATISFACTORY.

@

40 THE DIFFICULTY ABOUT (B) AND (C) IS, OF COURSE, WHAT YOU

SHOULD DO IN THE PERIOD ? 4 MAY TOKYO WILL BE ABLE TO

ADVISE WHETHER YOU COULD USEFULLY STAY ON PRIVATELY THERE

(COMPARE TOKYO TELEGRAM NO 741 OF 25 JUBE, PARA 2).

IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT FOR YOU TO STAY PRIVATELY IN PEKING

PCFORE YOUR OFFICIAL VISIT BEGAN.

ALTERNATIVLY, WE MIGHT PRESS THE CHINESE TO ACCEPT OUR PROPOSAL

FOR A VISIT FROM 2-0 PAY ON THE UNDERSTANDING THAT ON THE

FIRST TWO DAYS YOU WOULD NOT EXPECT CH140 KUAN-HUA TO RECCIVE

YOU PERSONALLY.

5. I SHALL DISCUSS THIS WITH H.M, AMBASSADOR WHO RETURN

*

TO PEKING ON 17 SEPTEMBER, HE MAY WISH TO ADVISE FURTHER.

FENN