میں
GR 350
CYPHER/CAT A
FM FCO 161824Z
CONFIDENTIAL
LECEIVED
REGISTRY No,52 |
17 JAN1975
HILI/19/1
TO ROUTINE RANGOON TEL NO 6 OF 16 JANUARY AND TO BANGKOK VIENTIANE.
FOLLOWING TELEGRAM NOW REPEATED TO YOU AT REQUEST OF DEPT WAS SENT TO HONG KONG TEL NO 28 OF 10/1.
FOR COMMISSIONER OF NARCOTICS
1. WE HAVE BEEN INFORMED BY TRAIN THAT ADRIAN COWELL, A TELEVISION JOURNALIST, MAY VISIT HONG KONG NEXT WEEK. TRAIN,
WHO SAW COWELL LAST WEEK, SAID THAT WE WOULD LET YOU KNOW THAT COWELL WAS COMING. YOU MAY ALREADY HAVE HEARD ABOUT HIS IMPENDING VISIT FROM LESTER WOOLF, WHO ACCORDING TO COWELL, INTENDED TO VISIT
HONG KONG EARLY IN JANUARY.
2. COWELL HAS VISITED THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE AREA ON SEVERAL
OCCASIONS AND DURING HIS LAST VISIT THERE MADE A FILM FOR ATV ENTITLED QUOTE THE OPIUM WARLORDS UNQUOTE. THIS WAS SHOWN IN THE
UK ABOUT 2 MONTHS AGO AND MADE A CONSIDERABLE IMPACT.
3. COWELL HAS RECENTLY VISITED THE UNITED STATES, AT THE INVITATION OF LESTER WOOLF, TO DISCUSS A SUGGESTION BY COWELL THAT THERE SHOULD BE SOME PRE-EMPTIVE BUYING OF OPIUM DIRECT FROM THE SHAN STATE ARMY. COWELL HAS NOW ARRANGED A MEETING BETWEEN
SOME OF THE LEADERS OF THE SHAN STATE ARMY, WOOLF AND HIMSELF WHICH WE UNDERSTAND WAS SCHEDULED TO TAKE PLACE THIS WEEK.
4. WHEN COWELL CALLED TO SEE TRAIN LAST WEEK, HE ASKED WHETHER THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN THE SUGGESTION
THAT THERE SHOULD BE PRE-EMPTIVE BUYING OF OPIUM. TRAIN WAS NON- COMMITTAL ABOUT HIS PROPOSAL AND EXPLAINED THAT, BECAUSE OF THE OBVIOUS POLITICAL DIFFICULTIES, THE FCO WOULD HAVE TO GIVE ADVICE ON IT.
5. WE REGARD COWELL'S PROPOSAL AS A NON-STARTER. ANY OFFICIAL
CONTACT WITH THE SHAN STATE ARMY, OR OTHER DISSIDENT GROUP, WOULD BE REGARDED BY THE BURMESE AS FLAGRANT INTERFERENCE IN THEIR INTERNAL AFFAIRS. IT WOULD BE HIGHLY DAMAGING TO OUR BILATERAL RELATIONS. FOR THIS REASON, WE THINK IT EXTREMELY UNLIKELY THAT THE UK OR ANY OTHER GOVERNMENT WOULD BE INTERESTED IN COWELL'S
PROPOSAL. YOU MAY RECALL THAT AT THE MEETING IN HONG KONG IN
JUNE 1972 THE DEA POURED COLD WATER ON THIS SAME SUGGESTION.
6. WE THEREFORE SUGGEST THAT YOU SHOULD NOT GET INVOLVED IN ANY
DISCUSSION WITH COWELL OVER THE MERITS OF HIS PROPOSALS FOR
PRE-EMPTIVE BUYING, AND BE AS NON-COMMITTAL AS POSSIBLE. HOWEVER, IN VIEW OF COWELL'S CONSIDERABLE KNOWLEDGE OF THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE AREA, THE MEETING SHOULD STILL BE WORTHWHILE AND INFORMATIVE.
CALLAGHAN
NNNN
ין
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.