893.01/11–2849: Airgram
The Ambassador in New Zealand (Scotten) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 5—10:10 a. m.]
A–252. In the course of an informal conversation on November 24th with First Secretary Elting, McIntosh47 said he wished the Bangkok Conference was going to be held sooner since he believed the question of recognition Communist China would be posed before then. When Elting remarked that conference was not very distant, particularly since nothing would be done until after the elections here and in Australia, and probably not until after the Commonwealth meeting in Ceylon, McIntosh stated that the UK was eager to grant recognition at the earliest possible moment. Elting then asked him whether Prime Minister Fraser had really considered the question and was firm in his opposition to recognition. McIntosh replied that Fraser was most definitely opposed but that he might possibly change his mind after the election. McIntosh explained that there could scarcely be any objection to recognition from the legal point of view, but the Prime Minister feels that it would give aid and comfort to the Communists and discourage anti-Communist elements. Elting then inquired whether the UK might not find it desirable to “play both ends against the middle” by the UK granting recognition while some of the Commonwealth countries withheld it on moral grounds. The reply to this was an emphatic “no” and left Elting with the distinct impression that the UK is putting heavy pressure on New Zealand, and probably Australia, to go along.
To emphasize the absence of material New Zealand interest which might affect their decision, McIntosh said they are mainly concerned about the position of the Chinese Consul General here, whom they all like, adding that they would like to postpone recognition in any case for as long as he cared to remain.
- Alister D. McIntosh, Permanent Secretary of the New Zealand Department of External Affairs.↩