CONFIDENTIAL
2
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2. (contd)
Since
the Director of Civil Aviation would not be prepared to authorise the aircraft's removal from Hong Kong unless the Supreme Court were to give categoric authority by way of a Court Order allowing for such removal. then there has been an ominous silence, I understand from the American Consulate-General here, who have been in touch with Cowden but are by no means prepared to fight his battles for him, that there is a problem as regards the US Federal embargo on dealing with Vietnan, Apparently the Federal Treasury still consider the plane to be the property of Air Vietnam and Pan Am would need a special licence to transfer assets from Air Vietnam to Pan Am. It may be this which is discouraging them from proceeding with the removal of the aircraft.
3.
Given PHAM's willingness to reach a bargain with Inter-Ocean Towing Limited about the ship, I am beginning to wonder whether the answer to the zeroplane is/to try and knock his head together with Cowden's and see if they cannot come to an equally amicable compromise, but I think we must first wait and see vhat the P R G delegation, now likely to arrive on 16 August, bring with them.
сс
PL O'Keeffe Esq CVO HK & IO D, F CO
Chancery, Hanoi Chancery, Peking
(CDS Drace-Francis)
CONFIDENTIAL
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