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CONFIDENTIAL V , fr Foreign and Commonwealth Offic LondonXSW1A \ V 11 April 1975 // If Thank you for your letter of 10 April in which you asked for our urgent advice on the response which the Prime Minister * might make to President Amin's personal telegram of the same / date. We think that the Prime Minister should reply to this '. message and I enclose a draft for his consideration. In giving this advice, we have it in mind that both the British companies whose assets have been expropriated in Uganda and the British Asians who were expelled in 1972 will expect us to do everything possible to obtain compensation for them. President Amin has now made very definite proposals and, in conversation with our Acting High Commissioner, has promised compensation in cash. We know that he has recently received large subventions from Saudi Arabia. In this situation we think it would be difficult to justify ignoring President Amin's message completely. The Prime Minister will obviously not wish to take up President Amin's invitation to visit Uganda. We think it would be unwise to suggest their meeting in Kingston, even though President Amin has declared his intention of not going there, since that might encourage him to change his mind. We could also hardly ask The Queen to sign a letter to President Amin accrediting our Acting High Commissioner as High Commissioner so soon after Amin has put himself forward to replace her^ as Head of the Commonwealth. There are, therefore, limits to the extent to which the Prime Minister can give Amin a forthcoming reply. Within these limits, however, we have tried to make the reply as helpful as possible. The Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary will have a copy of this letter and the draft telegram in his box to consider on his return from Dublin, but he has not yet seen this advice. Unless the Prime Minister wants to despatch the telegram before the weekend, we should be able to let you have his comments on 14 April. (R. N. Dales) Patrick Wright, Esq., 10, Downing Street,