1969年3月前，英国外交部收到古巴驻英国使馆关于正式承认新任古巴驻香港领事的请求，远东司的Boyd感到很奇怪，为何其他共产党国家的官员到香港短期访问都不容易，而古巴竟然还在香港设有永久性领事馆？于是他就咨询港督府的意见，询问古巴的领事是否给香港带来不便。
由英国外交部派给港督协助处理外交事务的助理政治顾问（assistant
political advisor，一秘级）Robin John Taylor
McLaren （麦若彬，1991到1994年任英国驻华大使）回复说：他也一直觉得古巴领事馆的存在很奇怪，比方说前任古巴驻港领事Barranco竟然是1967年底直接从古巴驻北京大使馆调任的。McLaren首先回顾了二战后古巴驻港领事馆的演变，然后说明古巴领事近年来很安分，没惹过麻烦，看起来也不太忙（主要是船只和商务），也没从事情报活动。因此，虽然允许古巴驻港领事馆存在与对其他共产党国家的外交政策不一致，但没有强烈的动机需要改变现状，即“不必吵醒睡着的狗”（let
sleeping dogs lie）
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CONFIDENTIAL
Far Eastern
Department
24 March, 1969
The Cuban Embassy in
London have approached us with the request
that we grant formal recognition to Mr. Pablo Ferrer as the
new Cuban Consul in Hong Kong. I gather that Mr. Ferrer was gazetted on 17 January
(Hong Kong Savingram No. 62 of that date).
2. We know, of course,
that the Cuban Consulate in Hong Kong is of
long standing, probably of pre-Castro vintage. But our records do
not satisfy our urge to know why there should be such
a Consulate. On the face of it, it is incongruous
that while harbouring such strong feelings about even short visits by other
communist officials we should accept the permanent
presence of a Cuban. Is this just one of those
"problems left over by history" that we have decided to live
with? And does the Cuban in fact give any ground for anxiety locally? We should be grateful
if you could bring us up to date. Meanwhile we are
sitting on Mr. Ferrer’s credentials.
(J.D.I. Boyd)
HONG KONG.
CONFIDENTIAL
______________________________________________
COLONIAL SECRETARIAT
LOWER ALBERT ROAD
HONG KONG
Ref. TC 87/69
7th April,
1969.
Cuban Consulate in
Hong Kong
I am not surprised that
you are puzzled by the existence of a Cuban
Consul here (your letter TXA 3/368/2 of 24th
March). I have always thought it rather odd myself.
2. The post war Cuban
consular presence dates from 1945, when a Cuban Consular Agency was opened with
a local businessman, who also acted as Consul for Ecuador, in charge on an
honorary basis. This situation lasted until 1948 when the Consular Agency was
closed. There was then no Cuban representation in Hong Kong until 1957 when,
following the visit of a good-will mission headed by an Ambassador-at-large
with the engaging name of Dr. Santiago Claret, a career officer was appointed
to be resident in Hong Kong as Consul General and to act concurrently as Cuban
Charge d'Affaires in Taipei.
3. This gentleman, Dr.
Miguel Campos was left undisturbed when Castro came to power at the beginning
of 1959, though he must have been deprived of his accreditation to Taiwan. He
left Hong Kong on promotion in August 1959 and the office remained closed until
December of that year, the archives being left in the custody of the Brazilian
Consulate General. In December an elderly lady member of the Cuban Consular
Service, Senora Sofia Dihigo, arrived to take charge and she remained until
1965, when a Cuban Chinese who had been the number two since 1962 took over. He
remained until late 1967 when Ferrer's predecessor, Roldan Barranco
arrived (from the Cuban Embassy in Peking!).
4. I suppose that our
best opportunity to get rid of the Consulate would have been in mid-1959 when
it was closed pending the arrival of Senora Dihigo. But, as far as I can
determine from the file, the possibility was
not considered at that time, no doubt because Castro was then still in his
formative period. Nor, so far as I can discover, has any serious consideration
been given to closing the Consulate since then.
5. The fact is that the
Cuban Consulate has given us very little
trouble over the years. Senora Dihigo was a charming lady who was, I believe,
genuinely popular, and her successors have behaved correctly and kept
themselves fairly inconspicuous. Whether there is enough work to justify a
consular post I do not know. Roldan Barranco told me some time ago that he had
quite a lot of shipping and commercial work but he did not strike me as being
particularly busy. There is no evidence that the Cubans have ever attempted to
engage in intelligence
activities.
6. The answer to your question, then, is that the Cuban Consulate is here
because it is here. I agree with you that
its existence is incongruous and inconsistent with our general policy but there are no strong
local grounds for not letting sleeping dogs lie.
7. Mr. Pablo Ferrer was
accorded provisional recognition on 17th January. If you agree with the above
you will no doubt authorise us in due course to give him formal recognition.
8. I am copying this
letter, together with a copy of yours of 24th March, to James Allan in Peking.
Yours
Robin
(R.J.T. McLaren)
Assistant Political Adviser
J.D.I. Boyd, Esq.,
Far Eastern
Department,
Foreign &
Commonwealth Office,
CONFIDENTIAL
出处：英国外交部档案FCO21/544
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