PUS’s Planning Committee: ‘Comments received from posts on paper entitled “Sources and means of influence in the modern world’”, 4 December 1968

Notes that a paper was circulated to posts in August. “Several comments emphasised that, as our power to intervene militarily in various parts of the world was reduced, the importance of our non-military effort overseas particularly such aspects as information work and diplomatic persuasion would significantly increase”. Paper then notes seven proposals on aid. “(i) We should devote more of our aid resources to military training and technical assistance. The potential political benefits of having Prime Ministers trained at Sandhurst were pointed out (even if they have to reach that position by coup d’etat). (ii) our aid and technical assistance programme should be more closely geared to the promotion of our trade, and should owe less to political and altruistic motives…(iii) We should come down heavily on the side of bilateral rather than multilateral capital aid, since the former offered significantly better opportunities for political leverage”.

National Archives: FCO49/247