TNAG-2394-FCO40-3481-Commander-British-Forces(CBF)--Hong-Kong-position-on-the-Exe-1992 — Page 23

31 January 1992

Sir Michael Quinlan GCB Ministry of Defence

My Dear Michael,

SECRET

Foreign & Commonwealth

Office

London SW1A 2AH

Sir David Gillmore KCMG

The Permanent Under Secretary of State

HONG KONG: COMMANDER BRITISH FORCES ON EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

1. The Foreign Secretary minuted to the Defence Secretary on 6 January supporting the Governor's recommendation that the new Commander British Forces (CBF) in Hong Kong should not be a member of the Executive Council. You and I subsequently had a word about this on the phone.

2. As you know, the Governor has reconsidered the timing of this proposed change in the light of two developments. First, the announcement of his own departure later this year means that there will be a new Governor who will want to take his own decisions on the composition of his Executive Council. Second, the Governor has discussed the proposed change privately with two former CBFS. Both said that in their view it would be helpful to an incoming CBF to be able to take his place on ExCo even if a new Governor subsequently decided that he should stand down.

3. The Governor was struck that two former CBFs should separately give him this advice. He attached weight to it, and given the change of Governor during 1992 he now believes that a decision on the timing of CBF stepping down from ExCo should be left to his successor. He discussed this with the Foreign Secretary during his visit to London last week. The Governor and the Foreign Secretary agreed that for reasons set out in the Foreign Secretary's minute of 6 January CBF's position on ExCo is in principle anomalous and that a change should be made well before 1997. But the Foreign Secretary accepted the Governor's judgement that a decision on timing should be left for the new Governor.

SECRET

/4. In sum,