TNAG-1338-FCO40-1770-Visit-by-Margaret-Thatcher--UK-Prime-Minister--to-Beijing-fo-1984 — Page 95

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Advantage: No dislocation of existing arrangements: the Prime Minister could do PM's Questions.

In

Disadvantage: The programme would be even tighter. particular, the Prime Minister would not get a proper night's sleep before her talks with President Reagan on 22 December. In addition, the Prime Minister's visit to Hong Kong would be extremely short, and there would be a real risk of giving the impression that Hong Kong's interests were being subordinated to other matters.

(iii)

Asking the President to amend his invitation to the Prime Minister, preferably to an offer of dinner at Camp David on the evening of 22 December.

Advantage: Again, no dislocation. The Prime Minister would have a night's sleep in Hong Kong before the long flight to Washington.

Disadvantage: The President would have to be asked to change his invitation: he may have some other engagement that evening.

I have spoken to Sir Percy Cradock, who sees no overriding difficulty in going back to the Chinese to seek a change in the date for the signature ceremony in Peking, to enable us to take up option (i) above, if that is what the Prime Minister wishes.

C D Powell Esq

10 Downing Street

bc: HKD

Protocol Dept NAD

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ever

Pete Ricketts

(P F Ricketts) Private Secretary

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