TNAG-1190-FCO40-1492-Implications-for-Hong-Kong-of-changes-in-the-British-nationa-1982 — Page 88

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DSR 11 (Revised)

SECRET

DRAFT: Oletter/sister/xdespatxotx

FROM:

Secretary of State

DEPARTMENT:

TEL. NO:

The Rt Hon William Whitelaw

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION

TO:

Top Secret

Secret

Confidential

Restricted

Unclassified

PRIVACY MARKING

CAVEAT..

..In Confidence

TYPE: Draft/Final 1+

Reference

Your Reference

SUBJECT:

T

Copies to:

Private Secretary No 10 PS/Lord Belstead

PS/Mr Rifkind

Blind ces to:

Lord Gordon Lennox

Mr Donald

Mr Clift, HKGD

Mr Partridge, MVD

Sir Ian Sinclair, Legal

Advisers

Advisers

Mr Rushford, Legal

Mr Ceurvorst, WED

There has been an exchange of correspondence between our

departments ending with Wilfred 'Hyde's letter of 31 August

to Kelvin White about the proposal by the Unofficial Member

of the Hong Kong Executive and Legislative Councils that

the term 'British national' should be entered in British

passports issued by the Governor of Hong Kong. Hyde wrote

after reference to you and recorded your strong opposition

to the Hong Kong proposal.

Enclosures-flag(s).......

While I recognise some of the legal and administrative

complications outlined in your letter (to which I will

revert later) I am afraid that there are very strong

foreign policy reasons for agreeing to the Hong Kong

request. These reasons were outlined in White's letter.

I should like to underline them particularly since you

yourself have expressed concern at the possible implication

SECRET

/for