747.47H/27a: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Minister in Australia ( Johnson )22
15. On February 4 the Department repeated to London23 the text of the Secretary’s message to Prime Ministers Curtin and Fraser in regard to the Australian–New Zealand Agreement. The Embassy was instructed to make known to the British authorities our attitude on this subject. The Embassy now reports a conversation with Sir Alexander Cadogan24 as follows:
“Sir Alexander said that the British Government’s attitude toward the agreement was that in general they welcomed many of the provisions [Page 185] of the agreement itself as they supposed was the case with the American Government. Their attitude with regard to the convening of an early conference, however, was that such a conference was premature and that considerable preparation and groundwork should be accomplished before such a meeting should be called. He did not know whether this view had been communicated as yet to the Governments of New Zealand and Australia but in any case this was the attitude of the British Government.”
Repeated to Wellington.