TNAG-0582-FCO40-715-Requisitioning-of-Ships-Order-1969-validity-of-order-need-f-1976 — Page 52

Mr Janvrin Or

SECRET

Reference. HKK 10/8

но

HKK 064/578/1

DK азмес

Yes

HONG KONG:

REQUISITIONING OF SHIPS ORDER, 1969

1. Please see the minute of 4 August by Mr Wickson of Defence Department, and related papers.

2. I have discussed with Mr Wickson and agreed that it would be sufficient for a member of HKD to attend the meeting in the D of T which has been arranged for Mr Fletcher, the Hong Kong Director of Marine, at 2,30 pm on 23 August. Although HKD was the lead department when the 1969 Order was made, I do not think that we are in a position to contribute enough to resolving the points raised in Mr Bristow's letter of 30 July to justify Mr Fletcher's coming to see us. If you agree, therefore, I should be grateful if you would liaise, nearer the time, with Mr Wickson who will, in any case, be attending the meeting in the D of T.

3.

As you will see from paragraph 2 of Mr Wickson's minute, there is apparently nothing to suggest that the 1969 Order is not still in force. This, therefore, is presumably the answer to the first point raised in paragraph 1 of Mr Bristow's letter. As for the other point about the delegation of functions section 3 of the Order, I think it will have to be left to the other departments to advise.

4.

Mr Wickson tells me that Mr Wilberforce, who has approved the course of action proposed in Mr Wickson's minute, has enquired about the significance and meaning of the code word "BEHEAD" at the top of Mr Bristow's letter. I have told Mr Wickson that I have no recollection of having seen it before, though it is not difficult to guess at its significance in the context of evacuation planning. If we do have access to code words in use in Hong Kong and you could find out about "BEHEAD" that would be helpful, but it is clearly not essential for dealing with the points raised in Mr Bristow's letter.

D. F. Millen

D F Milton

9 August 1976

Hong Kong Department

233 4381

CODE

18-77

X. The meeting

7.

un Jauorin &

and

was attended by

myself highly successful.

was hi

Ir

has been agreed that un Fblcher should call on 1k depy today - a representative from Mot depr will

SECRET

lik

also allend