TNAG-0544-FCO40-639-Strength-of-garrison-in-Hong-Kong-1975 — Page 31

CONFIDENTIAL

Foreign and Commonwealth Office London SW1

:

A JH Ward Esq

D$6

MOD

Main Building

LONDON

Telephone 01-

Your reference

Our reference

Date

кака

327

18 November 1975

HOUSE OF LORDS DEFENCE AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS DEBATE:

26 NOVEMBER

WEDNESDAY,

1. We spoke about briefing for this debate and agreed that go far as concerns the liong Kong Defence Costs Negotiations, the speaking note and background note which you provided for the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Debate on 10 November were still valid. I am therefore recommending that these should be resubmitted together, as before, with supplementary material covering the role of the Governor in the negotiations and the release of the MOD lands.

2. I enclose this material together with a covering draft submission (you can ignore what it says about the resettlement aspects of Diego Garcia) just in case you have any observations on it.

3. One small point. The opening sentence of the background note, which was drafted with the House of Commons in mind, ought really to make reference to whatever statement on the Defence Review was made in the House of Lords last December. Could you supply the details please?

D F Milton

Hong Kong and Indian Ocean Department

CONFIDENTIAL