TNAG-0715-FCO40-911-Future-of-the-Dependent-Territories-4 — Page 33

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and building up local police forces to the point where they are capable of maintaining internal security after independence, unaided by any external reinforcement scheme. It takes money and time to do this and ODM's reluctance to use aid funds for police would have to be overcome. However, we are doing this for Barbados. I think we should consider mentioning in this section of the Despatch that in the event of any dependency advancing to independence HMG would be prepared to consider assisting in the enlargement, improvement and training of the local police force to a level adequate to secure the independent state's internal security. Such a statement would, however, need

to be cleared by ODM.

9.

I generally agree with your draft depatch and I think it brings into clearer focus our basic policy towards dependencies. In paragraph 3 of the draft you deal with those territories whose independence can never be an option and you say that in these cases we shall always be prepared to consider the possible alternatives listed in paragraph 11 of the 1975 Despatch, one of which is Associated Statehood with the UK. It is now tribal lore to reject Associated Statehood as an alternative stage to ISG in constitutional evolution to independence on the grounds that it represents for us an indefinite commitment of respons- ibility without power. We have been giving this some thought recently and I attach a paper prepared by Mr Cockerham of this department on the pros and cons of Associated Statehood, together with comment by Planning Staff. Before we issue your despatch we shall need to determine if Associated Statehood is to remain one of the alternatives to independence. If so, the BVI,

the BVI, Mont- serrat, Anguilla and the Turks and Caicos Islands may well want to move in that direction rather than go for independence. Mr Crowe's remarks have validity and we think that it would be wiser to avoid offering Associated Statehood as an alternative to full independence. If this is agreed by Ministers, then we need to reject in the Despatch Associated Statehood as an option open to dependencies.

10. The Despatch is classified as "Personal and Confidential" and obviously it must be so, but I think we should give Governor's discretion to draw on material in this and the 1975 Despatch when discussing constitutional advance with their ministers and politi- cians. If our policy remains shrouded in confidentiality little progress will be made in constitutional evolution;

in fact I go

as far as to say that,

to say that, subject to OAGS' views, we could consider producing and issuing a sanitized and consolidated version of the two Despatches for issue to ministers and local politicians as a basis of discussion.

11. I consider we shall need to have a system of formal review of developments in territories. If we don't things may, in the face of difficulties, stagnate. I think the Despatch should there- fore make it a requirement that OAGs must in January of every year

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