CONFIDENTIAL
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FM HONG KONG 160840Z
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CONFIDENTIAL
TO PRIORITY F C O TELEGRAM NO 712 OF 16 JULY
INFO PRIORITY WASHINGTON, UKMIS. GENEVA, RANGOON, PEKING, LUMPUR AND TOKYO INFO SAVING HANOI.
KUALA
(zu)
YOUR TELEGRAM NO 67 TO RANGOON AND YOUR TELEGRAM NO 1543 TO WASHINGTON: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES.
AS REPORTED IN PARAGRAPH 4 OF OUR TELEGRAM NO 699 TO YOU, AN AMERICAN IMMIGRATION TEAM WAS AIRLIFTED TO 'AVA' ON 11 JULY. THEY SUBSEQUENTLY REPORTED THAT BETWEEN 30 AND 40 OF THE VIET- NAMESE MIGHT EVENTUALLY QUALIFY FOR ADMISSION TO THE UNITED STATES, ASSUMING THAT THE CRITERIA WHICH OBTAINED AT THE END OF THE VIETNAM WAR WERE CONTINUED TO BE OBSERVED. IN ADDITION, THEY THOUGHT THAT THERE MIGHT BE SOME (REPEAT SOME) SCOPE FOR ADMITTING VIETNAMESE UNDER THE NORMAL PAROLE (P.7) PROGRAMME. THE DIFFICULTY WAS THAT IT WOULD TAKE AT LEAST TWO WEEKS TO GET ANY REACTION FROM THE UNITED STATES AUTHORITIES AND IT MIGHT TAKE MUCH LONGER BEFORE ANY ACTION FOLLOWED.
2. THIS IS HELPFUL AS FAR AS IT GOES, BUT NEITHER WE NOR THE. AMERICANS HAVE ANY ILLUSIONS THAT THE WHOLE GROUP OF REFUGEES WOULD BE ADMITTED INTO THE UNITED STATES.
3. WE HAVE BEEN IN CLOSE TOUCH WITH THE UNITED STATES CONSUL- GENERAL WHO HAS MADE THE FOLLOWING POINTS:
(A) AS THE EXPANDED PAROLE PROGRAMME NEARS ITS END, BRINGING
TO A CLOSE THE SPECIAL PROGRAMMES BY THE UNITED STATES FOR INDO-CHINESE REFUGEES, THE PROBLEM, WHICH WILL OBVIOUSLY CONTINUE, MUST NOW BE DEALT WITH ''ON A MORE INTERNATIONAL·
BASIS'':
CONFIDENTIAL
(B) IT WOULD BE
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