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thoroughly aired during the talks. If we were to withhold informa- tion from Hong Kong which might help their case, and they sub- sequently learnt of this, they might well argue then that a Defence Agreement reached on that basis was invalid, and we would have to go through the whole performance again.
7. In all the circumstances, I prefer to send Hong Kong an interim reply on the lines of the draft telegram below, rather than on those in Mr Bennett's minute of 27 February. The effect of the telegram is FLAG C to put the ball back in Hong Kong's court by pointing out, correctly, that it will take a long time to obtain the information which Hong, Kong seek and euqniring whether they have any particular deadline in mind. The answer should make Hong Kong's intentions clearer. If they ask us to go ahead with the project, even though it is going to take a long time, then it seems probable that they genuinely require this information in order to "sell" a future Defence Agreement to the Hong Kong public. If they indicate that they require the project to be given priority, so that they receive^information very soon, or even that the matter can be dropped, then it is probable that they would want the information for use in talks with ourselves. In those circumstances, we should perhaps consider whether or not we should send such information as we already have available,
BENNS IT'S
VIEWS.
가
NOTWITHSTANDING
Mn.
5 March 1975
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DK Timms
Hong Kong & Indian Ocean Department
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