TNAG-1252-FCO40-1585-Third-countries-and-the-future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 104

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CONFIDENTIAL

Hink 04015

28 MAR 1983

A E Donald Esq CMG

up

Foreign and Commonwealth Office London SW1

My Tear Alan,

UNITED STATES AND HONG KONG

•

BRITISH High commISSION

P. O. BOX 1812

WELLINGTON

14 March

No 293

I am

90

1983 drafting

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Astraed 2073

My American colleague, Monroe Browne, came to lunch à deux last week. He had been in Hong Kong last month for the Pacific Heads of Mission meeting presided over by Mr Shultz and had clearly been very impressed by Hong Kong and its problems.

2. Browne undoubtedly has a direct line to the White House resulting from his having presided over Reagan's think-tank before his election to the Presidency. He suggested that we should "milk" him if ever there was anything he could do to help over Hong Kong. He said he was not in Wellington for the New Zealanders' blue eyes alone, and implied that he had been given some unspecified Pacific role to play by the President.

3. No doubt you will let me know if, as seems extremely unlikely, there is ever anything you wish to get across to the White House through this rather strange channel. I am only writing to you because I promised Browne I would. Making it quite clear that I was no expert on this subject and speaking out of the top of my head, I said that off-the-cuff the best thing that it occurred to me the Americans could do to help over Hong Kong would be to get their relations with Peking on a firmer footing; so that the Chinese might take some notice of what they said if ever we needed to ask them to weigh in.

Yous ever,

Dick

RJ Stratton

cc: Sir Edward Youde, GCMG MBE, Hong Kong

Sir Oliver Wright, GCMG GCVO DSC, Washington Sir Percy Cradock KCMG, Peking

CONFIDENTIAL