3.73C
3000733
CONFIDENTIAL
Commissioner for Narcotics
MEMO
From....
133 62/70/90
Ref.
in
Tel. No. 5-95399
Dote
2 7 MER 1975
Secretary for Security
To
Political Adviser
6/
Director of Medical & Health Services
Your Ref.................in..
dated
Visit to Mr. N. Getsinger, Deputy United States Consul-General
18th March 1975
I visited Mr. Norman Getsinger, Deputy United States Consul-General on 13th March, with Norman Rolph, who was paying a farewell visit on his retirement as Commissioner for Narcotics. During our discussion, considerable American interest was apparent in the following two issues;-
(a) The Newman Report on Methadone Maintenance etc.
(b)
The U.S. Consulate General have copies of this report, and are particularly interested in paragraphs which suggest that assistance ,in the implementation of the recommendations could be obtained from
the United States Government. Mr. Getsinger emphasised that the United States would be glad to help out in these areas, if the Hong Kong Government considered that such assistance would be beneficial. Mr. Rolph gave a very non-commital reply, emphasising that the report had not yet been studied in depth by the D.M.H.S., to whom it was addressed, and by the Narcotics Secretariat; he thought his successor would be discussing the matter with Dr. Choa very shortly to decide how the examination should proceed. Whilst it was possible that the Hong Kong Government might welcome assistance in research projects connected with drug abuse and treatment from the relevant United States authorities, it would be premature to speculate on what attitude might be taken until the report had been fully examined and a view had been taken on it by the Government.
Drug Production
This was of particular relevance in view of Congressman Lester Wolfe's reported remarks on the possibility of buying 400 tons of raw opium from farmers in the Shan states of Burma. Mr. Rolph said that he had no doubt that the American Government would examine this suggestion with some caution in view of the possible consequences of such pre- emptive buying of drugs. One result might be the enlargement of the areas under opium cultivation, to take up the slack lef: by the sale of opium to the U.S. Government, and secondly, the Burmese Government would undoubtedly take a most serious view of any attempt to buy drugs for considerable sums, from insurgents in a state of rebellion against it. It was clear that a major part of any payments made to, say, the Shans, would be devoted to the purchase of arms in pursuit of their insurgency; in such circumstances there was no possibility of support for such a venture from either the British or Hong Kong Governments.
CANFIDENTIALI
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