CONFIDENTIAL
060260
MDHIAN 3010
AN APPOINTMENT WITH HIM EARLY IN HIS VISIT. IT WILL PRESUMABLY BE
POSSIBLE TO PROBE C ITOH'S INTENTIONS WITH HIM IN LONDON BEFORE THAT VISIT. I WILL DOUBTLESS BE ABLE TO DO SO ALSO WHEN HE IS HERE. IT IS NOTEWORTHY THAT BOTH WIMPEY AND MOWLEM (PARA 4 ABOVE) CLAIM C ITOH AS AN ALLY WITHOUT MENTIONING THE PRESENCE OF THE OTHER IN ANY LIKELY GROUP. (THE FINAL SENTENCE OF PARA 3 OF YRTELNO OTTER 184 INDICATES THAT WIMPEYS DO NOT ENVISAGE ANY OTHER BRITISH COMPANY IN THE GROUP). OUR POSITION WILL BE FURTHER COMPLICATED IF BOTH MOWLEM AND WIMPEY WERE TO JOIN TOGETHER WITH C ITOH, SINCE THE BRITISH SHARE WOULD PRESUMABLE THEN BE LARGER.
7. I AGREE (YR PARA 4) THAT MY EARLIER SUGGESTION THAT MR SAINSBURY SHOULD BE ACCOMPANIED BY LEADERS OF THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY DURING HIS SEPTEMBER VISIT IS LOOKING DIFFICULT TO ACHIEVE. IN PART THE SUGGESTION IS BEING OVERTAKEN BY THE VISITS OF THE CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES RELATED ABOVE. ON THE OTHER HAND I AM STILL PERTURBED BY THE TOTAL LACK OF INTEREST, SO FAR AS WE ARE AWARE, OF MAJOR DIVISION ONE UK CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES LIKE TAYLOR WOODROW, LAINGS, HIGGS AND HILL ETC. IN THE LIGHT OF THE 'LUKEWARM REACTION' WHICH YOU HAVE RECEIVED TO YOUR INITIAL APPROACHES, AND IN LIGHT OF THE RAPIDLY SHORTENING TIME AVAILABLE TO SET UP SUCH A VISIT, I WOULD NOT LOSE TOO MUCH SLEEP IF THE PROPOSAL WERE DROPPED IN THE CONTEXT OF MR SAINBURY'S VISIT. I FIRMLY HOLD TO THE VIEW HOWEVER THAT WAYS SHOULD BE FOUND, PERHAPS THROUGH MINISTERIAL CONTACTS, TO PERSUADE SOME OF THESE LARGEST CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES WHO HAVE NOT YET SHOWN ANY INTEREST THAT THE AMOUNT OF WORK AVAILABLE IN HONG KONG IS SOMETHING WHICH BEARS CLOSE SCRUTINY BY THEIR TOPMOST PEOPLE, BEARING IN MIND THE SPECIAL ADVANTAGE THAT THEY HAVE HERE, SUCH AS UK BUILDING STANDARDS, CONTRACT DECISIONS MADE LARGELY BY BRITISH PEOPLE ETC. I STILL THINK THERE IS ROOM FOR JUST ABOUT EVERYONE. MOREOVER IT SPREADS OUR BETS IF WE CAN GET A BRITISH ELEMENT IN A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF THE LARGER AND MORE COMPETITIVE GROUPS. THIS I SUGGEST IS STILL COMPATIBLE WITH HAVING AJC AS OUR FRONT RUNNER AND WITH PERSUADING THE MOST SIGNIFICANT OF THE JAPANESE CONTENDERS THAT THEY ARE IMPROVING THEIR CHANCES OF SUCCESS BY STAYING WITH THAT GROUP.
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