800.014 Antarctic/11–1546
Memorandum by the Director of the Office of American Republic Affairs (Briggs)2
Issue of Conflicting International Claims to Antarctica Raised by Proposed Byrd Expedition
Since the initial publicity a few days ago on the Navy–Byrd expedition to Antarctica,3 interest therein has been shown by Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and Chile, with a strong possibility that we shall shortly hear from further countries. While the immediate requests may be for permission to send foreign observers (which Navy indicates it will oppose), the main issue is of course Who owns What, and if not, what should we do about it. At present the continent is claimed almost in toto by Great Britain, Australia, and New Zealand, with Norway, Chile, Argentina, and France likewise in the running and Russia reportedly preparing to join. Our position thus far has been that we recognize no foreign claims, assert none ourselves, but reserve all our rights (whatever they may be) to assert claims in the future.
Preliminary discussion with Navy indicates agreement regarding the desirability of clarification at an early date, plus doubts whether the area can ever be regarded as habitable.
Beyond our interest in what may be accessible in the land underlying all the ice and snow, we are interested in Antarctic whaling which is apparently about to be resumed on a large scale.
A preliminary meeting to consider the problem of Antarctic claims [Page 1493] is scheduled to be held in the Department on November 19 with Navy participation. Among the alternatives discussed informally are:
- 1)
- For the United States to suggest a conference among the claimants with a view to dividing up the area among them. I should anticipate that the prospect of reaching such an agreement would be meager if not microscopic, and also that many nations not included would demand their “fair share”.
- 2)
- For the United States forthwith to set about establishing our own claims oil the basis of discovery, land spied from airplanes, the Little America activities, et cetera. The off-the-cuff view seems to be that we could probably make about as good a case as the British Empire claims, although possibly not one which they would readily accept.
- 3)
- For us to suggest that Antarctica be placed under the administration of United Nations, for the benefit of humanity, Antarctic terns, penguins, et cetera, with appropriate obeisance to the principles set forth in the United Nations charter.
- 4)
- To approach the third alternative above as an objective, via the maneuver of certain maximum United States claims and in the expectation of so confusing and complicating the issue that eventually the United Nations proposal would appear to be the only solution likely to preserve the sanity of the litigants.
- This memorandum was circulated to Under Secretary of State Dean Acheson, the Assistant Secretary of State for American Republic Affairs Spruille Braden, the Deputy Director of the Office of European Affairs John Hickerson, and the Acting Chief of the Division of Special Inter-American Affairs John C. Dreier.↩
- At a news conference on November 12, Rear Adm. Richard E. Byrd and Vice Adm. Forrest P. Sherman, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations, announced that Admiral Byrd would be in charge of a forthcoming American expedition to Antarctica.↩