TNAG-1514-FCO40-2072-Shipping-in-Hong-Kong-1986 — Page 5

From:

Miss JR Binstead Hd Log Sec (NATO/Plans)

MINISTRY OF DEFENCE

Main Building, Whitehall London SW1A 2HB

Telephone 01-218

7019

01-218 9000

(Direct Dialling) (Switchboard)

GR Sunderland Esq

SPB 3

Department of Transport

2 Marsham Street

London SW1P 3EB

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Date

D/ACDS(L) 22/12/7

30 January 1986

Dear Mr Sunderland

HCDC AND MERCHANT SHIPPING

1.

Following John Henes' letter of 3 January the revised draft evidence for the House of Commons Defence Committee on Merchant Shipping was submitted to Mr Stanley, and I can now pass on his comments, converted where necessary into redrafting of parts of the paper.

2. Since the memorandum is as much concerned with civil as with defence requirements for merchant shipping, the title should be changed to 'Merchant Shipping in times of tension and war'.

3. The present paragraph 2d should be amended to read

'operational support of the Royal Navy', to avoid any confusion with civil requirements for auxiliary ships in paragraph 8. Furthermore, 2a d should be re-ordered a, d, c and b (ie reinforcement, RN, trans-Atlantic and Europe resupply), as a consequence of later redrafting (see para 5 below). 3-6 will similarly need to be re-ordered.

--

Paragraphs

4. The last sentence of the present paragraph 3 should be deleted and a new 2nd sentence should be inserted as follows:

5.

1

The aim is to complete this task within 10 days'.

Mr Stanley particularly commented that paras 28-32 should be more clearly presented, and I attach a proposed redraft of the material contained in those paragraphs. The passage in square brackets prefigures to some extent the material in paragraph 39, but does provide a more direct link of MOD plans with possible future steps. We would prefer to keep paragraph 39 itself separate, as dealing with possible ways of meeting as yet unforeseen shortages. However, in the light of the Treasury comments on HDO (86)1 some amendment of paragraph 39 may in any case be necessary?

6. Mr Stanley has commented that he will wish to agree the way the paper is classified when we have a final text. He is content to proceed by way of a memorandum to the HCDC, from

'the Department of Transport and the Ministry of Defence', but wishes to see a further draft incorporating metada

ACDS(L) C24(14)

CONFIDENTIAL

dnerts-

HKK 175/ RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

INDEX

* 1 JAN 1986

·STRY

ction Taken

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