I refer to your letter of 30th September, 1946, Ref.5/273 [1], in
regard to the question of Australian liaison with British Defence
Committee in South East Asia and note that the specific proposals
put forward by your Government are:-

(a) the Australian Commissioner in Malaya provides a suitable
channel through which liaison with Australia may be arranged;

(b) he should attend as an observer at meetings of the British
Defence Committee in South East Asia; [2]

(c) British Defence Committee in South East Asia papers should be
forwarded to Australia after they have been seen by the United
Kingdom authorities;

(d) liaison visits should be arranged on a Service level as
required.

It is observed that the liaison arrangements required between the
Australian authorities and the British Defence Committee in South
East Asia will depend on the conclusions reached on the proposals
submitted to the Prime Ministers' Conference in London in
April/May 1946. The Defence Committee has concurred in the
proposals in paragraph 1(a), (b) and (c) as a temporary measure
pending the establishment of a permanent organisation for co-
ordination of British Commonwealth Defence. It is considered that
service liaison visits should be deferred at least until the
discussions on the proposals put before this Conference are
finished.

It is noted that the proposals submitted by the United Kingdom
authorities 'have been formed in the light of the long term
strategic policy in South East Asia, which is to make Australia in
any future war the main support area in the Far East'.

It will be recalled that when making my statement on Australian
Defence Policy to the last Prime Ministers' Conference I stated
that 'while planning may proceed on the basis of principles
providing for such matters as uniformity in organisation, training
and equipping of forces and in co-ordination of supply, strategic
planning must await the clarification of political arrangements
for security and the provision of effective Government machinery
for controlling such arrangements'.

I also observed that 'on the supply aspect the detailed procedure
should be the examination of specific aspects of the problem'. [3]

It is noted that this matter also is dependent on the outcome of
the discussions which were begun at the Prime Ministers'
Conference in London in April/May 1946.

Subject to the foregoing, the Government has approved of the
proposals in paragraph 1(a), (b) and (c), as a temporary measure
pending the establishment of a permanent Organisation for co-
ordination of British Commonwealth Defence.