TNAG-1144-FCO40-1424-Hong-Kong-and-the-Falkland-Islands-crisis-1982 — Page 5

4. OTHER VISITS (IE ARTILLERY TEAM AND FALKLANDS DELEGATIONS)

ARE DIFFICULT. BOTH VISITS WOULD FIT IN WITH OUR POLICY OF

ENCOURAGING LOW LEVEL VISITS BUT AS YOU KNOW FINANCE HAS ALWAYS

BEEN A PROBLEM. IT STILL IS. WE AGREE IN PRINCIPLE TO FOUR

MAN ARTILLERY TEAM BUT HAVE HAD NO SUCCESS IN FINDING FINANCIAL

SPONSOR FOR HK-PEKING-HK AIR FARES. (WE ASSUME THERE WOULD BE NO

OTHER COSTS). BUT IN VIEW OF BROAD NATURE OF SUBJECT SEVERAL

UK DEFENCE MANUFACTURERS MIGHT BE INTERESTED AND DEFENCE SALES

ARE PREPARED TO CHECK WHETHER ANY COMPANIES WOULD PAY. AGAIN,

ANY RESPONSE FROM CHINESE YET QUES.

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SUBJECT TO MINISTERIAL APPROVAL, WHICH HAS YET TO BE SOUGHT

BUT WHICH WE EXPECT WOULD BE FORTHCOMING, A BRIEFING ON FALKLANDS

OPS WOULD BE POSSIBLE. CLEARLY WE SHOULD HAVE TO BE CIRCUMSPECT

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IN WHAT WE SAID AND THE BRIEFING WOULD NOT(NOT) EXTEND

BEYOND THAT WHICH WAS ALREADY PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE. WE ARE THUS

TALKING ABOUT HALF A DAY IN MOD. WE ARE NOT(NOT) ATTRACTED

TO. THE IDEA OF QUOTE ONE OR TWO DELEGATIONS UNQUOTE SEMI COLON

ONE WOULD SUFFICE. IT WOULD HARDLY BE WORTH A DELEGATION

TRAVELLING TO LONDON FOR THAT ALONE AND IN ANY CASE IN COUNTRY COSTS WOULD CAUSE US DIFFICULTY. ONE POSSIBILITY WOULD BE FOR

MOD BRIEFING TO BE FOLLOWED BY VISITS TO RELEVANT EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURERS, WHO WOULD BE EXPECTED TO SHARE COSTS INCURRED. ALTERNATIVE WOULD BE FOR BRIEFING TO BE GIVEN TO ZHANG DURING HIS VISIT. BEFORE PURSUING THIS MATTER, WOULD BE GRATEFUL FOR YOUR COMMENTS ON WHAT MIGHT BE ACCEPTABLE AND APPROPRIATE BEARING IN MIND FINANCIAL CONSTRAINTS.

6. WE HAVE TAKEN NO ACTION OVER POSSIBLE VISIT BY LORD LEWIN.

7. SORRY NOT TO BE ABLE TO GIVE YOU DEFINITIVE REPLIES.

WE AND ACDS (C) STAFF ARE KEEN TO HELP BUT THERE ARE REAL DIFFICULTIES

DT

CONFIDENTIAL