The Philippine Embassy, 6-8 Suffolk Street, London, Thursday, 22 January 1948
Having made discrete inquiries to the Foreign Office and elicited no objections, Guy Maunsell had contacted the Philippine embassy in response to their inquiry; in turn, they had asked him to visit the embassy to further discuss the nature of their proposal. Thus it was that he found himself seated with Don Jaime Zobel de Ayala, the ambassador of the Philippines to the Court of St. James’s and with Ramon Magsaysay; after the formal introductions, Don Jaime excused himself and left Maunsell with the Defense Minister’s assistant.
“If you do not mind my inquiring,” said Maunsell, “what is all this cloak-and-dagger business about?”
Magsaysay smiled. “Interesting that you put it that way Mister Maunsell – for my country, this is very serious business.” He slid several papers across the table. “I am certain you remember this project…”
Maunsell scanned the items, and recognized his own proposals to the Admiralty more than thirty years ago. “The ‘M-N Scheme’?” he harrumphed. “The brass hats said it was too expensive and too time consuming.”
“Perhaps,” Magsaysay replied, “but my Government is interested in a scheme not unlike what your proposed, and wishes to employ you as a consultant to improve the defense of our coastal waters against possible enemies.”
“You mean the Chinese,” was Maunsell’s response.
“Their aggressive tendencies have brought them into two conflicts within the last decade,” Magsaysay acknowledged. “My country wishes to be prepared should they seek a third.”
Their followed some hard discussions regarding the possible scope of the ‘consulting work’ and the remuneration of Maunsell’s efforts, depending in large part on the length of time and scale of the effort. In the end, the Briton agreed to conduct an initial survey of the situation in the Philippines and to submit a list of potential options; depending upon the outcome of this initial phase, his work might expand.