SECRET
067663
MDHIAN 6818
+
THE CHINESE, AND THAT IN PARA 7 OF FIRST TUR FOR USE WITH HMOCS OFFICERS LEAVE MUCH UNCLEAR AND WOULD THEREFORE INVITE THE VERY QUESTIONS THEY SEEK TO AVOID. ON PARA 6, IF WE WERE READY TO MOVE INTO A DISCUSSION WITH THE CHINESE ON THE FUTURE OF THE CIVIL SERVICE (PARA 7 OF UKREP TUR REFERS) THEN THE POINTS IN PARA 6C MIGHT USEFULLY BE MADE IN OPENING. WE WOULD SUGGEST OMISSION OF THE FIRST SIX WORDS OF POINT (B). OTHERWISE THE CHINESE WOULD INTERPRET THIS TO MEAN THAT WE HAD BEEN ENCOURAGING THE HMOCS OFFICERS TO SEEK EARLY RETIREMENT. AS IT STANDS THE REST OF POINT (B) WOULD BE TAKEN BY THE CHINESE AS A VEILED WARNING THAT WE WERE INTENDING TO AMEND EXISTING PENSIONS LEGISLATION AND THEY WOULD ASK FOR DETAILED BRIEFING. POINT (D) IS OBSCURE.
6.
ON PARA 7(A) BOTH THE CHINESE AND HMOCS OFFICERS WOULD WANT TO KNOW WHO WOULD AUTHORISE THE EARLY RETIREMENTS AND ON WHAT GROUNDS. ON POINT (B), 'USE THEIR BEST ENDEAVOURS' SEEMS RATHER
UNCONVINCING.
THE LAST SENTENCE OF POINT (C), AS POINTED OUT IN
PARA 8 OF 2ND TUR, WOULD SURELY PRODUCE AN ENTIRELY UNDESIRABLE RESULT.
7. THERE REALLY SEEMS LITTLE POINT IN PRODUCING A HYPOTHETICAL LINE TO TAKE WITH HMOCS IN THE EVENT WE MANAGE TO SLIP THIS ONE PAST THE CHINESE, WHICH WOULD 'DISAPPOINT HMOCS MEMBERS AND MIGHT ADD TO PUBLIC COMPLAINTS AND CONTROVERSY'. WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO ACCEPT THAT TRYING TO DEAL WITH THIS BY SUBTERFUGE WOULD NOT ONLY BE LIKELY TO RAISE SUSPICIONS IN THE MINDS OF THE CHINESE BUT WOULD ALSO BE THOROUGHLY UNCONVINCING TO THE HMOCS OFFICERS.
MCLAREN
YYYY
MAIN
41
DISTRIBUTION
41
.HER MAJESTY'S OVERSEAS
.CIVIL SERVICE RESTRICTED
HKD
LEGAL ADVISERS//MISS BROOKS
FED
NEWS D
RAD//MR WYE
RMD
OVERSEA PENSIONS/ODA//MR FISH
PS
PS/MR GOODLAD
PS/MR PATTEN
PS/PUS
SIR J COLES
MR HUM
MR KERBY
2
PAGE
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