TNAG-0887-FCO40-1097-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 135

Separate Copies to:

Heads of:

Defence Dept

ACDD

SED

SAfD

Rhodesia Dept

NENAD

MED

FRD

C

ESSD

FED

PRESIDENT CARTER'S LETTER OF 14 MAY TO THE PRIME MINISTER

SUBSTANTIVE REPLY

You will already have seen a copy of President Carter's recent letter to the Prime Minister which was distributed by the Private Office on 15 May. A short interim reply, referring to Secretary Vance's visit, has been sent.

2 I should now be grateful if you would let me have, by close of play on 30 May draft contributions for a substantive

reply cleared, as necessary, with Under-Secretaries. The Prime Minister has particularly asked that we should send quite a long and frank reply. This would, of course, take account

of Mr Vance's conversations here with the Secretary of State and

the Prime Minister. The records of these meetings will be circulated as soon as possible.

3

I suggest that, as a rough guide, we should aim to produce a draft reply of about the same length as President Carter's- Original message and with much the same balance between the

subjects. We will therefore need contributions as follows:-

SALT II, NATO, TNF and Arms Control

Turkey

Rhodesia

Namibia

Defence Dept/ACDD

SED

Rhodesia Dept

Middle East

Tokyo Economic Summit, Energy and Japanese Trade Imbalance

SAfD

NENAD/MED

FRD/ES&SD/FED

Where more than one department is involved, the first-named should take responsibility for coordinating and consulting with the others.

4

There is no reason why the Prime Minister, on the Secretary of

QONFTDEUPTAT,

/State's

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