TNAG-2122-FCO40-3028-Future-of-the-Brigade-of-Gurkhas-in-Hong-Kong-1990 — Page 48

CONFIDENTIAL AND PERSONAL

the Gurkhas, she did not commit herself. (Please treat the foregoing as for your own information only.) The minutes record agreement that, if asked, the Defence Secretary should 'make clear that there would be some need for the Gurkhas'.

4.

In briefing the Defence Secretary for his announcement on 25 July, MOD originally proposed that he should say, if pressed, that the "Options" exercise had not gone into which regiments should be cut, but that Mr Younger's statement of May 1989 had made it clear that the future of the Gurkhas would be open to review in the light of changed circumstances. We challenged this on the basis that it was unwarrantedly negative in the light both of Mr Younger's statement which (although it contained a small let-out) was nonetheless designed to say there would be a future for a reduced Gurkha contingent after 1997, and in the light of the OD conclusions. MOD accepted this, and agreed that the line should be that the situation was unchanged, and remained as stated by Mr Younger. When question of the Gurkhas was raised in questions after Mr King's statement, Mr King confined himself to saying that he was aware of the statement made by his predecessor. The upshot of all this therefore is that, for the time being, an MOD effort to unpick the undertaking given by Mr Younger has been resisted, and the Prime Minister is, in principle, in favour of retaining the Gurkhas. However, there is still no absolute commitment to this after 1997.

5.

In the light of the above, you may think it worthwhile reviving the proposal that an FCO Minister should write to the MOD on this matter, on the basis of concerns expressed by the Governor of Hong Kong. Reference can now be made openly to the Options for Change exercise.

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S J Gomersall

SG2ABB

CONFIDENTIAL AND PERSONAL