Office of the Historian

740.0011 PW (Peace)/7–2247

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Chief of the Division of Northeast Asian Affairs (Borton)

[Washington,] July 23, 1947—2:30 p.m.
Participants: Norman J. O. Makin, Ambassador, Australian Embassy
General John H. Hilldring, A–H
General Charles E. Saltzman, A–H
Mr. John K. Waller, First Secretary, Australian Embassy
Mr. Hugh Borton, NA

Ambassador Makin called at his own request to present the attached aide-mémoire.6 Ambassador Makin emphasized that he wished to consider the discussions on the treaty informal but had been instructed by his Government to point out that the Australian Government could not accept an invitation to the conference unless Australia were to be represented by the Minister of External Affairs. He also emphasized the appreciation of his Government of assurances from the United States that it recognized Australia as a party principal in any negotiations regarding the Japanese peace treaty.

General Hilldring stated that on the matter of Dr. Evatt’s attending the initial stages of the conference, we had no objections to Foreign Ministers appearing at the conference whenever they wished. Our problem is a logistic one, namely, of desiring to have a peace conference begin as soon as possible and yet having the Secretary of State committed to attend conferences from the middle of August until after the meeting of the CFM. Consequently, we had suggested a meeting of deputies. In answer to a question as to how long the Australians contemplate an initial conference of Foreign Ministers would last, Ambassador Makin said he guessed it might be called just the week prior to the General Assembly and in such case would [Page 475] not last over a week. General Hilldring replied that he thought an agreeable compromise could be reached on this question.

General Saltzman referred to the statement in the Australian aide-mémoire that “the Australian Government understands that the United States Government will not in any stage compromise in the application of the principle for voting procedure”. General Hilldring commented that our proposal for a two-thirds voting procedure was made with the utmost sincerity and that in spite of the reported rejection by the Soviets he knew of no change in U.S. policy on this point.

  1. Dated July 22, not printed.↩