740.0011 EW (Peace)/5–1546
The Australian Minister for External Affairs (Evatt) to the Secretary of State
Sir: On behalf of Australia I desire to emphasise to you the urgent necessity of summoning the Peace Conference at the earliest possible date.
[Page 425]Such a course is, I submit, made mandatory by the guarantees contained in the Moscow agreement of December last. These were to the following effect:—
- (a)
- A peace conference would be summoned representing all the United Nations which actively waged war with substantial military force against European enemy States; the list of all nations so qualified was stated in the agreement and of course includes Australia, an active participant in both the European and Japanese wars from their outbreak to final victory.
- (b)
- The Conference would be held not later than 1st May, last.
The Agreement at Moscow followed upon earlier public claims and demands to full participation in the peace-making made by active belligerents against the European enemies including Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
It was in the belief that the conference would be held (a) not later than 1st May 1946, and (b) at a stage in the peace-making sufficiently early to propose amendments to any drafts, that the Australian Government acquiesced in the procedure by which preliminary drafts were to be prepared by the belligerents represented on the Council of Foreign Ministers.
The present position is that the undertaking to call the Conference before May 1st 1946 has not been carried into effect. Instead of the Council of Foreign Ministers concerning itself with preliminary drafting, it has endeavoured to negotiate, as between its own members, definitive peace arrangements. If such arrangements were made, the task of a peace conference would become almost that of mere endorsement. This is not in accord with the rights of the other active belligerents as declared in the Moscow agreement, and in particular it is not in accordance with the public statements made in connection with the London Conference by you in America, and also by M. Molotov in London.
Again, there is the strongest objection by Australia to amendments of existing armistice arrangements, not because the present arrangements are entirely satisfactory, but because further amendments—made by a few powers only—tend to prejudice and further delay the final peace arrangement.
Finally, it is submitted that there exists no right of veto in the Council of Foreign Ministers as to the procedure for calling the European Peace Conference. At Moscow it was agreed that the Conference must be called and a dead-line date was fixed. The procedure for carrying out such a decision is properly a matter for majority procedural vote. Otherwise the Moscow decision might be completely nullified and the rights of active belligerents would either be taken away, or, by further delays, rendered of little or no use.
[Page 426]Although Australia greatly appreciates the efforts already made, on your own initiative, to summon the Conference your present proposal, as gathered from press reports, will probably lead to still further postponements of the agreed Peace Conference.
Therefore it is submitted that it should be decided here and now to summon the agreed conference at the earliest possible date and to fix such date once and for all.
I am addressing a letter in similar terms to your colleagues on the Council of Foreign Ministers.
I have the honour [etc.]