TNAG-0561-FCO40-656-Review-of-narcotics-problem-in-Hong-Kong-1975 — Page 180

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CONFIDENTIAL

HOME OFFICE

Telegram

29 APR 1979mney House, Marsham Street, LONDON S.W.1

WKK 19/1

Telephone: 01-799-3488, ext. 212 8920

Telex: 24986

Our reference: Your reference:

PL O'Keefe

Hong Kong and Indian Ocean

Department

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE

25 April 1975

63 15

Dear O'Keefe

I spoke to you this afternoon about the series of meetings between US, Hong Kong and United Kingdom law enforcement agencies to dis- cuss drug trafficking in the Far East. As I told you the United Kingdom is due to host the third meeting in the series in London this Summer.

Norman Rolph and I had done some preliminary work on planning this with two DEA officials in Geneva at the Narcotics Commission meet- ing in February. I had gained the impression that the Americans were not quite as keen as they had previously been and I had written to Bartels in a way which would have allowed him to draw back from the meetings if he so wished. Peter Lee, the new Commissioner for Narcotics in Hong Kong has recently written supporting the idea of a meeting in London and I have today received the enclosed letter from Bartels. As you will see, this advocates a further meeting in this series. We in the United Kingdom would not be disposed to disagree with this view, particularly as it would give us an opportunity to meet Peter Lee and hopefully est- ablish with him the good working relationships which we had with Norman Rolph. However, as I told you Bartels has raised the question of whether the Canadians should join in these meetings. The disadvantages, and they may be more theoretical than real, are that the increase in the size of the meeting may diminish its efficiency and make it the more difficult to bring the meetings to a close when they have ceased to serve a useful purpose. On the other hand, if the Canadians have a genuine interest in this, it would be to the advantage of all concerned if they be drawn in. Accordingly, unless there is some strong political reason from the Hong Kong point of view for not increasing the size of the meeting I would suggest that we rely favourably to the proposal that has been put to us.

I shall be away from the United Kingdom during the course of the next week and shall not be in a position to respond to Bartels' letter until early in May. I hope that by then you will have been able to obtain some indication from the Hong Kong Government as to whether they are content for the Canadians to join us. As yet we have entered into no commitment in the timing of the meeting, but at present I am not ill disposed towards a meeting sometime early in June as Bartels is suggesting.

CONFIDENTIAL

Yours sincerely

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