IMMEDIATE
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TO IMMEDIATE FCO TELNO. 2549 OF 23/7.
RCF.
AND TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG.
INFO ROUTINE UKMIS GENEVA, TOKYO, RANGOON, PEKING, AND KUALA LUMPUR. INFO SAVING HANOI.
HONG KONG TELNO. 735: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES.
1. CUSHING (INDO-CHINA REFUGEE PROGRMS OFFICE, DEPARTMENT OF STATE) TELEPHONED US ON 23 JULY TO SAY THAT THE STATE DEPARTMENT WERE EXTREMELY DISTURBED BY THE CONTINUED REFUSAL OF THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT TO ALLOW THE REFUGEES TO LAND. IF THIS SHIPLOAD WERE TURNED AWAY, THE CONSEQUENCES WOULD BE ''DISASTROUS.'' CAPTAINS OF SHIPS WHO CAME ACROSS SIMILAR GROUPS OF INDO-CHINESE REFUGEES IN UNSEAWORTHY VESSELS IN FUTURE WOULD SIMPLY TURN A BLIND EYE TO
THEM.
2. DRAWING ON HONG KONG TELNO. 702, WE EXPLAINED THE DIFFICULTIES OF THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT AND TOLD CUSHING AGAIN THAT THE
REFUGEES WOULD BE ALLOWED TO LAND IN HONG KONG AS SOON AS THEY HAD BEEN ACCEPTED FOR SETTLEMENT ELSEWHERE. CUSHING SAID THAT HE COULD STILL NOT GIVE US OFFICIAL ASSURANCES THAT THE US WOULD TAKE ANY OF THE REFUGEES BEFORE THEY WERE LANDED. BUT HE SAID THAT HE HAD ''EVERY. EXPECTATION'' THAT ALL 99 WOULD BE ALLOWED INTO THE US AND WOULD BE EXTREMELY SURPRISED'' IF ANY OF THEM WERE DENIED ENTRY. HE REPEATED THAT THE STATE DEPARTMENT WERE MOST AGITATED ABOUT THE REFUGEES' FATE AND THAT THE PROBLEM WAS RECEIVING TOP PRIORITY''. THE US EMBASSY IN LONDON IS BEING INSTRUCTED TO SPEAK TO YOU ON SIMILAR LINES. WE MERELY UNDERTOOK TO REPORT CUSHING'S APPROACH.
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