TNAG-0611-FCO40-759-Presence-of-Warsaw-Pact-countries-in-Hong-Kong-1977 — Page 40

CONFIDENTIAL

Mir Stevenly

11

back

reply.

id to this Soviet approach, then sent him a formal

However the Royal Society replied querying a part of Medewelt's

my letter I shall be writing again. (Our policy with regari to request:

from nationals of Warsaw Pact countries to visit Hong Kong is set out

in Office Circular "0" 14/74 of 22 January 1974.)

Argument

4. There are good reasons why this Soviet request should be refused:

(a) this visit cannot but be a Soviet ploy. The "Dimitriy "endelev"

is tasked to investigate the course of the Kuro Siwo current.

Hong

Kong have informed me that this does not enter the South China Sea

Burs post)

and that, at its closest to Hong Kong,¿*

Meieture

some 600-800 klms away.

Hong Kong does mot appear to be a necessary port of call,

(b) A visit would be misunderstood by the Chinese.

Criticism of the ute of

Hong Kong by Soviet shipping continues from time to time in Hong Kong'

left-wing press. The Chinese would probably invoke the late Secretary

of State's assurance to the Chinese Foreign Minister that the British

Government had no intention of tolerating the use of Hong Kong for

subversive activities against the Chinese People's Republic,

(c)

3

to albw the visit would undermine local policy on Soviet bloc

activities in Hong Kong in that it would become a precedent for regular

visits by Soviet research vessels.

I can identify no gool reason why the "Dimitriy lendekev" should be permitted

into Hong Kong on this occasion, except for the embarrassment caused

the Opt's

to the Royal Society. I consider that correspondence and conversations

E -

F

H.

with the Society's Foreign Secretary will go a long way to stiffening the Society's resistance to Soviet blamlishments, arguments.

Recommendation

5.

I recommend that the Soviet request be refused. /EESD, FED, M & GD

PUSD, STD and the Hong Kong Government concur

r.] I submit a draft

Colegram to Hong Kong and a draf Note to the Soviet Embassy. The Hong

Kong Government have suggested that the letter be withheld until

ose for

considerably nearer the time of the dates propose

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