TNAG-2224-FCO40-3195-Gulf-War-burden-sharing-Hong-Kong-contribution-1991 — Page 124

JAPANESE SECURITY AND PROSPERITY. IN A WAR SITUATION THAT APPLIES EVEN MORE STRONGLY. ALL THINGS BEING EQUAL THE JAPANESE

WOD CETAINLY LIKE TO HELP US TOO, BUT IF THE AMERICANS WEIGH IN EVEN MORE HEAVILY FOR THE BAKER LINE, THE MFA MAY ULTIMATELY CRUMBL AND AT THE VERY LEAST REDUCE THE BRITISH SHARE. THAT IS WHY I WARMELY WELCOME THE NEWS THAT HIGH-LEVEL ACTION IS PLANNED

ON THIS WITH THE AMERICANS. THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT MOVE ISSUE, AS SEEN FROM HERE, IS TO PERSUADE THE AMERICANS THAT THE JAPANESE SHOULD REACH THEIR OWN CONCLUSIONS ON THE DESTINATIONS OF THE US DOLLARS 9 BILLION WHILE ACCEPTING THAT THE LION'S SHARE CUNDEFINED SHOULD GO TO THE UNITED STATES.

5.

AS I STRESSED IN PARAGRAPH 4 OF MY TELNO

85, I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT IN THESE CIRCUMSTANCES A VISIT AT THIS STAGE BY A BRITISH MINISTER WOULS BE HELPFUL. HE WOULD UNDOUBTEDLY ATTRACT CONSIDERABLE MEDIA INTEREST. BUT THE JAPANESE WOULD NOT AT THIS STAGE BE ABLE TO GIVE HIM ANYTHING POSITIVE TO SAY TO THE PRESS. EVEN THE MFA IS MOST UNLIKELY TO HAVE REACHED ANY FIRM CONCLUSIONS WITHIN THE NEXT FEW DAYS AND THEY WILL THEN NEED TO CLEAR LINES WITH THE MOF AND TO CONSIDER HOW A PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT COULD BE RELATED TO THE ON-GOING PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE AND THE FIG-LEAF ROLE OF THE GCC. ON THE OTHER HAND, A BRITISH MINISTER WOULD HAVE TO ANSWER A SERIES OF QUESTIONS ABOUT THE BAKER STATEMENT, WHICH THE BRITISH PRESS WOULD PURSUE VIGOROUSLY. A PRESUMED UK-US ROW WOULD OFFER SOME OF THEM AN ALL TOO TEMPTING ANGLE. MOREOVER, UNLESS WE HAD SQUARED THE AMERICANS BEFOREHAND, WE MIGHT PROVOKE JUST THE HIGH-LEVEL, POLITICAL LOBBYING ON THEIR SIDE WHICH IS MOST DANGEROUS TO OUR CAUSE.

6. I FIRMLY BELIEVE THEREFORE THAT AT PRESENT WITH TWO MINISTERIAL MESSAGES LODGED WITH THE MFA AND MOF, OUR BEST TACTIC AT THIS END IS TO MAINTAIN OUR DAILY PRESSURE ON THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT AND TO PROVIDE OUR SUPPORTERS IN THE MINISTRIES THE DETAILS THEY NEED TO ESTABLISH A CASE FOR GIVING US A REASONABLE SHARE OF THE MULTINATIONAL FORCE ALLOCATION. IT WOULD THEREFORE BE HELPFUL TO HAVE OUR QUOTE SHOPPING LIST UNQUOTE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.

WHITEHEAD

YYYY

ADVANCE

43

IRAQ/KUWAIT

PS

1

1

PS/MR HOGG

1

PS/MR LENNOX-BOYD

1

PS/S OF S FOR DEFENCE

1

PS/PUS

1

MR FAIRWEATHER

1

MR BROOMFIELD

MR SLATER

MR GORE-BOOTH

1

1

1

MR GOULDEN

MR JAY

MR BERMAN (LEGAL ADVISERS)

HD/MED

HD/AMD

HD/CONSULAR D

1

1

1

1

1

1

HD/ECD (E)

1

HD/NAD

1

HD/NEWS D

1

HD/NENAD

1

HD/SECPOL D

1

HD/SED

1