TNAG-0640-FCO40-788-Visits-of-nuclear-powered-merchant-ships-to-Hong-Kong-1988 — Page 74

Registry

SECRET

No. Hun 175/2

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION

Top Secret,

Secret.

Confidential.

Restricted.

Unclassifled.

PRIVACY MARKING

DRAFT LET TER

To:

C D S DRACE-FRANCIS ESQ

ASSISTANT POLITICAL ADVISER

GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT

HONG KONG

In Confidence

Type 1 +

From

T J David

Telephone No. Ext.

*

DSR 11

Department

Hong Kong Geront

#

Copy to:

Mr Makepeace Energy Dept

Mr Free-Gore M&GD

Mr Orr FED

Mr Fuller Defence Dept

Mr Rawlinson WED

Mr Scicluna Defence

Secretariat 15

Min of Defence

VISIT OF THE "OTTO HAHN" TO HONG KONG

1

1. Thank you for your letter SCR 16/5701/61V of 15 March.

Merry) 2. I have been wondering rathor late in the day I admit - whether the possibility of a successful visit by the "Otto Hahn" to Hong Kong later this year.really justifies all the work that we are now discussing and which someone will

A

1

eventually need to do, Where British interests lie in

this case?

be new to you

A

I think our own position and some of it will

is as follows:

190 (a) We have no political objections to the visit and

on fairly fine balance in, the interests of Anglo- German relations generally and in particular to

DJI

'(.

100

keep the West Germans sweet over the visits of our own nuclear submarines to FRG ports)- we would prefer to see it go forward rather than be

like

#

cancelled;

(b) but because we can identify a potential

1

C

Barliamentary/Ministerial interest in the visit if something goes awry, we would wish to be satisfied that your salety arrangements are all that they should be. In practice we would walke to have, by the eve of the "Otto Hahn"'s visit, assurances from the MOD (Navy) and from the Department of Trade and the SRD of the UKAEA (who are HMG's Advisers on these matters) that the arrangements you have made are walk up to UK standards;

SECRET

/(c)