Mr McLaren PS
CONFIDENTIAL
HUD 444/1 ния
ра
Antives.
From: M J Peart SPD
Date: 17 June 1988
PS/Lord Glenarthur
36
Cc:
LRD
CRD
CCD
NAD
LAD NA/6
HKD
Legal Advisers
EF
COMMONWEALTH AND AUSTRALIA CONSTITUTION ACT
1.
In his minute of 13 June the Private Secretary asked for a revised draft letter to No 10 taking account of the letter of 8 June from the Lord Chancellor's office and Mr Powell's letter of 9 June.
1
2.
G
3
I submit a revised draft. LRD concur.
submission of
The background is set out in Mr Furness' 13 May.
The arguments are not changed. In practice it is likely to be extremely difficult to attempt to confine the dismantling of our original set of documents to the original of a single document relating to the Constitution of the country concerned. The very fact of doing this will whet appetites for more, both from that country and others. Apart from the Australian request the only other active problem concerning archives is that with China over the Hong Kong records. The Chinese are already asking for UK Government records relating to Hong Kong as well as for the local records held in Hong Kong. The precedent of breaking into our archives for the Australians would not go unnoticied either by the Chinese or the other countries whose claims, although currently dormant, are still on the table. The effect which a surge of claims might have on our bilateral relations with a great many countries is not to be underestimated.
Bet
M J Peart
South Pacific Department
CONFIDENTIAL
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