SOUTH PACIFIC COMMISSION

A proposal has been made to convene an organisational conference
for the South Pacific Commission in Sydney early in November. The
attached documents will provide you with full information on this
subject. At the moment we are endeavouring to secure ratification
by the French Government of the South Pacific Commission
Agreement. The French Minister in Canberra has assured us that
delay is due to procedural difficulties. This assurance has been
confirmed by a cable dated 2nd October from our Legation in Paris
which states that the French Government intend requesting
ratification by Parliament as soon as it meets. It adds that the
French Government is meanwhile willing to participate in the
organisational conference and concludes by mentioning that the
French Ministry of Foreign Affairs trusts that we will appreciate
that any delays have been due to mechanical causes and do not
represent reservations as to the desirability of proceeding with
the organisational work of the Commission.

2. The Australian Minister at The Hague has already advised us
that the Netherlands Government is anxious to attend the
conference in Sydney, whether or not it has ratified the Agreement
by that date. He adds that delay in ratification has been due to
procedural difficulties, and that the Netherlands Government is
studying the means by which they can participate in the
organisational conference in the event of ratification not being
achieved by the time the conference convenes.

3. Information received from our Embassy in Washington however,
indicates that the State Department would prefer to await final
ratifications by all Governments before the Commission proceeds
with its preliminary work. They apparently do not consider
participation in the conference in November would be practicable
partly because several people who they would wish to attend will
be engaged in Assembly work in New York and partly because they
feel it would involve anticipation by the executive of a
Congressional decision. They had mentioned however, that if all
other Governments have ratified they might be prepared to give
further consideration regarding participation.

4. We intend to point out to the United States authorities the
willingness of the French and Dutch authorities to proceed with
the organisational conference and to press them to reconsider
their attitude in the light of the recent undertakings and
assurances received from the French and Dutch Governments. We are
extremely anxious to convene the conference in Sydney as we fear
that continued delay in setting the Commission to work may cause
irreparable harm to its prestige and reduce considerably its
capacity to function effectively. There are many urgent problems
resulting from war-time disorganisation which require immediate
attention and it is these problems which provide the Commission
with a real opportunity to produce concrete results for the
administrations responsible for native peoples in the area.

5. We should be glad to have any comments you may care to make
regarding the likely French attitude (both of Metropolitan France
and of representative French citizens resident in the French
territories in the South Pacific) to the organisation of the
Commission. Recently it was informally suggested to the United
Kingdom, Australian and New Zealand authorities by French
representatives that Noumea might be a suitable site for the
headquarters of the Commission. All three governments replied that
such matters can only be considered after the organisational
meeting of the Commission had been held and adequate inspection of
the area accomplished. We should be glad also to receive any
information you may be able to obtain regarding the probable
attitude (if any) of the native inhabitants in the French
possessions towards the Commission.

6. We shall advise you of any further developments in regard to
the conference in Sydney.