TNAG-0692-FCO40-842-Congolese-diplomatic-correspondence-found-at-Kai-Tak-Airport-1977 — Page 20

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M À Arthur Esq British Embassy KINSHASA

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SECRET

By Enteropa

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233-4777

22 June 1977

CONGOLESE "DIPLOMATIC" SUITCASE

1.

.477

You wrote to Charles Drace-Francis on 27 April, copying to us, to ask for background to the complaint, put to you by the Congolese in their note no 325 of 13 April, about the "mishandling" by the Hong Kong authorities of a Congolese diplomatic bag. You will since have seen Alan Donald's letter of 20 May to Derek Milton and FCO telegram no of 22 Jone. To complete your record I enclose copies of Hong Kong telegram no 315 of 25 March and Donald's letter of 30 March to Milton. As to the documents themselves, I enclose the originals, enveloped and sealed, but no copies there is in our view nothing of real interest to be gleaned from them, especially now that some are more than a year old. (You are, of course, welcome to copies if you want them; just ask.)

2. I have tried my hand at a draft reply to the Congolese Embassy's note no 325 and, in doing so, I have done my best to take account of the caveat in paragraph 10 of Donald's letter of 20 May. Subject to your own and Hong Kong's views (see paragraph 2 of FCO telegram no 477 on the latter) perhaps you could use it to return the papers to the Congolese Embassy.

Encl

cc: Mr Donald, Hong Kong.

SECRET

TJ David

Hong Kong & General Department

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