TNAG-0769-FCO40-973-Supplies-of-electrical-power-for-Hong-Kong-Castle-Peak-power-1978 — Page 23

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BTC HONG KONG

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GPS....680

CONFIDENTIAL

NO DISTRIBUTION TRED

нкар

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DESKBY 120102Z

FM DT1 112050Z DEC 78

TO IMMEDIATE BTC HONG KONG

TELEGRAM NUMBER INDUS 322 OF 11 DECEMBER 1978

FED

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INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING

See Bug

FOR MARCH FROM THORNTON

PRESS RELEASE

OFFICE

INDEX

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#Y

Achou Takan

2

3/13

1. M.I.F.T. CONTAINS THE FINAL TEXT OF THE DEPARTMENT'S PRESS RELEASE, TIMED TO GO OUT AT 1030Z TOMORROW. PLEASE PASS COPIES TO SIR LAWRENCE KADOORIE, KEN ODELL, AND DAVID GEMMILL.

2. ONE OR TWO COMMENTS ON THE TEXT, (PARA 1) THE PHRASE QUOTE A CONTRACT WILL SHORTLY BE SIGNED UNQUOTE FOLLOWS SIR LAWRENCE KADOORIE'S STATEMENT IN YOUR INDUS 226: IT AVOIDS THE PROBLEM OF WHETHER A LETTER OF INTENT QUOTE HAS BEEN UNQUOTE OR QUOTE WILL BE UNQUOTE ISSUED, WHICH, BY THE TIME WE KNEW, IT WOULD BE TOO LATE TO REFLECT IN OUR RELEASE. QUOTE APPROXIMATELY POUNDS 100 MILLION UNQUOTE ALSO FOLLOWS KADOORIE.

3. I HAVE SUGGESTED TO BALFOUR BEATTY HERE THAT THEY ADOPT WORDING CONSISTENT WITH THE ABOVE.

4. (PARAS 1,2) THE WORDING ON SUBCONTRACTORS (AND THEIR FACTORIES) RECOGNISES THE NEED TO AVOID THE TRANSFORMER MANUFACTURER DIFFICULTY, BUT ALSO OUR WISH TO NAME AS MANY NAMES, AND ESPECIALLY LOCATIONS FOR EMPLOYMENT, AS POSSIBLE. IF ASKED, OUR PRESS OFFICE WOULD SAY THAT THE CLIENT HAS NOT FINALLY DECIDED ON THE ALLOCATION OF TRANS- FORMERS, BUT THAT THEY WILL COME FROM U.K. MANUFACTURERS.

5. FOR YOUR OWN INFORMATIONS, AND IN CONFIDENCE FOR ODELL PERSONAL- LY, YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT BRUCE CALVERLEY (FERRANTI) TOLD HAVELOCK TODAY THAT THEY WOULD BE APPROACHING BALFOUR BEATTY TO SEEK RELEASE FROM THE IR OBLIGATIONS TO