E.R.
CONFIDENTIAL
States Government and I have not had the impression that the attitude of the State Department has changed on the question of preemptive buying. Secondly, as Cowell himself recognises, the political situation in Burma and particularly in the Shan States, is of critical importance; from what little I know about it, it seems to me highly unlikely that one could guarantee from one week to the next that the Group or Groups with whom one was dealing was either representative or in control of the people and area for whom it purported to speak. Thirdly, from my numerous conversa- tions and substantial correspondence with Norman Rolph on this whole question, I am inclined to doubt whether even he perceives the political delicacy and difficulty of the situation. Lastly, I suspect the legality of the solution which is being proposed in view of the terms of the Single Conventions on Narcotic Drugs of 1961.
I leave it to you whether it is necessary to send a telegram to Rolph before the meeting on Thursday to advise him of Cowell's likely visit next week, or whether we can await the outcome of the meeting to give him a slightly fuller briefing on the United Kingdom attitude to what actually is proposed so that he should have some guide lines at his meeting on our attitude.
Yours sincerely
Train
C J TRAIN
CONTI
L
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