London, 2 October 1975
O.LH40061 CONFIDENTIAL ROUTINE
Portuguese Timor
Male (Deputy Under Secretary, FCO)1 said today, that if Indonesia were to take over Timor by force, the British Government would wish to resist the pressures which would inevitably and quickly build up here not only for oral condemnation of Indonesia but also for practical measures such as cutting off aid. To help contain such pressures, a British Government statement would quickly be issued at the time (A) drawing attention to Indonesia’s long and remarkable display of patience and forbearance, (B) disclaiming any notion that Timor was even in a marginal sense Britain’s problem, and (C) observing that those countries in the region who did have real reasons to be interested in Timor were not too concerned by developments.
[NAA: Al838, 3038/7/1, iv]
- 1 P. J. E. Male was an Assistant Under Secretary of State, responsible for the South West Pacific, South-East Asian and SouthS Asian Departments of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.