TNAG-0538-FCO40-633-Strength-of-garrison-in-Hong-Kong-1975 — Page 38

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16. There may be pressure from the Allies to make public the

exchanges with the Secretary General of NATO. We have agreed

firmly to resist the idea of a public statement by NATO at this

stage; and I believe that we should continue to press on NATO the

wisdom of maintaining the confidentiality of the consultations

until the publication of the Defence White Paper. Even then I

would hope that NATO would not wish to take issue with us at least

in detail over our definitive decisions; and I would make sure that

the passage in the Defence White Paper on NATO consultations was

generally acceptable to the Alliance. However, against the

possibility of NATO's insisting on publishing the Secretary General's

letter, my reply at Annex C has been drafted with an eye to possible

publication eventually.

Recommendations

17. I recommend that the Committee should:-

a.

b.

c.

a.

take note of the progress of the non-NATO

consultations;

agree that, pending the outcome of consultations

with the United States, reductions in our forces

in Cyprus should take place on the lines indicated

in paragraph 3b above;

take note that a further paper on Cyprus will be

submitted to the Committee in the light of the

outcome of those consultations;

take note of the progress in our NATO consultations,

and in particular of the Secretary General's formal

letter at Annex B;

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