TNAG-1115-FCO40-1387-Future-staffing-of-the-Dependent-Territories-1982 — Page 63

CONFIDENTIAL AND PERSONAL

нка 431 25

Mr Day

1.

сп

I mentioned to you this morning the PUS's dissatisfaction at learning only when about to say goodbye to the retiring Governor of the British Virgin Islands that the Department had been dissatisfied with the Governor's performance over the last three years. The PUS has asked me to show you the papers. I thought it best to minute to Mr Ure on most of the points which the PUS made since we need a bit of an assessment from the Department of the situation in BVI and the lessons to be drawn from the way in which the Department seems to have handled the colony.

2.

I had a word with the new Head of WIAD this morning to get a line for the PUS to use with Mr Davidson. Mr Edwards' view was that Mr Davidson was pasted redemption in that he had lost all powers of decisiveness and had in fact aged before his

time. The PUS in any case felt that he was not fully sighted on the details and so did not broach with Mr Davidson any dissatisfaction with the way he had performed his duties. Mr Davidson did, however, make one remark to the PUS which the PUS would like to discuss with you.

3. Mr Davidson spoke very highly of the two successive PA's he had had and wanted to say that he had been enormously grateful to them for being the kind of sensible, reliable members of the service with whom he could discuss his problems. What he had found most difficult as a Governor was that he was lacking anybody other than his wife with whom he could discuss the problems he faced and to whom he could turn for a second opinion. The PUS reflects that while we have talked positively about mini-missions of as few as two men, we perhaps forget that most of our Governors are in effect one-man posts. They are isolated. They feel isolated. And we ought to find some way of providing them with better back-up.

R.Aman

25 March 1982

R A Burns PS/PUS

ALSO OK HKA 431/15

CONFIDENTIAL AND PERSONAL