CONFIDENTIAL
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May whereby
we make commitment in principle to take "comparable numbers" in future years, perhaps conditionally on securing support
from other resettlement countries. But I do not think it would be
sensible to put this forward to the Home Secretary before
before he has
even replied to our original proposal.
7. It begins to look as though Home Office tactics have been to
string us along until the summer recess was up on us SO as to make
further action impossible. I do not underestimate the Home Office's
problems on this in the general immigration context. But they have
shown по recognition that there are also problems related to HMG'8
responsibility towards Hong Kong. I do not think we can afford to
acquiesce in this. It was agreed at a meeting with Mr Luce on 11
July that we should recommend the Secretary of State to minute the
Home Secretary again fairly sharply, and because of the danger that
such a minute would also go unanswered, to ask at the same time for a urgent meeting with him. I attach a draft.
8.
In view of the shortness of time before the summer recess,
that this minute together with the original, should to No 10. I expect that the Home Secretary will
have suggested
now be copied
regard this as
efforts to sort
support for
a dirty trick, but it is he who has frustrated our
the problem out bilaterally. The Prime Minister's our position cannot obviously be guaranteed, but I think our strongest point with her is the "moral commitment" to Hong Kong which is well expressed in the Secretary of State's original minute.
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12 July 1985
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A C Galsworthy.
Hong Kong Department
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