CONFIDENTI AL
4. MR BLAKER ALSO ENQUIRED ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF THE AMER!
TAKING MORE REFUGEES FROM HONG KONG. HE ADDED THAT A NUMBER OF
COUNTRIES ROUND THE WORLD HAD NOT DONE AS MUCH TO HELP, NOTABLY IN LATIN AMERICA. D'O THE AMERICANS AGREE ?
5. MR BLAKER SAID WE HAD PUT PRESSURE ON THE VIETNAMESE TO MEND THEIR WAYS, AND WE HAD RAISED THE MATTER WITH THE SOVIET AUTHORITIES. WOULD THE AMERICANS CONSIDER RAISING THE MATTER WITH
THE SOVIET UNION?
6. IN RESPONSE CHRISTOPHER SAID THAT THE US GOVERNMENT ADMIRED THE EFFORTS OF THE UK AND IN PARTICULAR OF HONG KONG. BUT THE US
WAS ALSO STRETCHING ITSELF TO THE LIMIT BY ACCEPTING SOME SEVEN
THOUSAND REFUGEES PER MONTH FROM SOUTH-EAST ASIA. NEW LEGISLATION
WAS BEFORE CONGRESS DESIGNED TO MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR LARGER NUMBERS
OF REFUGEES TO ARRIVE AT ONE TIME IN THE UNITED STATES. BUT AS
FAR AS INCREASING THE OVERALL NUMBERS WAS CONCERNED PUBLIC OPINION
IN THE UNITED STATES WOULD NOT STAND FOR MORE.
7. ON THE ROACHBANK CHRISTOPHER SAID HE WOULD SEE IF THEY COULD
BE HELPFUL. ONE DIFFICULTY WAS THAT THE AMERICANS WERE CONSISTENTLY
EMBARRASSED BY THE EFFORTS OF THE TAIWANESE AUTHORITIES TO
TRANSLATE THE UNOFFICIAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES
INTO AN OFFICIAL ONE. THE AMERICANS HAD TO CHOOSE WITH CARE THE
ISSUES WHICH THEY RAISED WITH THE TAIWANESE AUTHORITIES.
8. ON THE CUESTION OF RAISING THE MATTER WITH THE SOVIET
GOVERNMENT CHRISTOPHER SAID THAT IN VIEW OF THE PRESIDENT'S CONCERN OVER HUMAN RIGHTS, AND IN PARTICULAR THE QUESTION OF EMIGRATION FROM THE SOVIET UNION, ANY REPRESENTATIONS WOULD NEED
TO BE HANDLED VERY CAREFULLY. HE REFERRED TO THE UNHAPPY HISTORY
OF EMIGRATION FROM GERMANY IN THE 1930S.
9. NEWSOM NOTED THAT THE AMERICANS WERE NOT SATISFIED WITH THE
EFFORTS OF THE UN HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES. THEY WOULD BE
PRESSING HIM TO DO MORE, IN PARTICULAR TO IDENTIFY OTHER COUNTRIES
WHICH MIGHT IMPROVE THEIR PERFORMANCE. THEY HAD ALSO MADE SOME
REPRESENTATIONS TO THE VIETNAMESE BUT HERE AGAIN WITHOUT PROMISING
RESULTS. SOME VIETNAMESE WERE HINTING THAT IT WAS THEIR OBJECTIVE
TO SEE ALL 600,000 ETHNIC CHINESE LEAVE VIETNAM.
2
M
CONFIDENTIAL
10. NEWSOM ALSO
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.