Wellington Legation Files: 801.4
The New Zealand Department of External Affairs to the Legation in New Zealand 19
The New Zealand Government understand from a United States Navy Press and Radio Release of 12 November, 1946, and from various newspaper reports, that a United States Navy Task Force will, early in 1947, establish a base in and operate aircraft over that portion of the Antarctic known as the Ross Dependency, territory which is under New Zealand jurisdiction and administration.
The New Zealand Government would normally have expected a formal request for permission to land on and fly over the Dependency but since they have no desire to place any obstacles in the way of the exercises proposed by the United States Navy Department they do not under the circumstances of this expedition desire to raise the question of this formality. The purpose of this note is to inform the United States Government that every possible assistance will be offered by New Zealand with a view to facilitating the plans of the Task Force.
Wellington, 20 December, 1946.
- Telegram 619, December 24, from Wellington, not printed, reported that Prime Minister Fraser had cancelled an earlier draft note (see telegram 616 from Wellington, supra) and had forwarded this text to the Legation in its stead (800.014 Antarctic/12–2446). This final text was transmitted to the Department of State in telegram 620, December 24, from Wellington, not printed (811.31/12–2446).↩