790.5/5–2953
Memorandum by the Deputy Director of the Office of British Commonwealth and Northern European Affairs (Foster) to the Deputy Under Secretary of State (Matthews)
top secret
[Washington,] May 29, 1953.
Subject:
- Answers to Ambassador Spender’s Questions Concerning Five-Power, ANZUS, and ANZAM Military Representatives Groups.
I have checked with Charles Sullivan in Frank Nash’s office and I suggest that you might wish to give Sir Percy Spender the following answers to the questions he raised with you during his call on May 26:1
- 1.
- Question: Where do we go from here in connection with the Five-Power Staff Liaison Agency? Answer: The United States recently approved the recommendations agreed to at the Five-Power Military meeting at Pearl Harbor on April 6–10 and has so informed Admiral Radford, U.S. member of the Group. Assuming that the other four governments also approve the Group’s recommendations—and we understand the U.K., New Zealand and France have done so—we assume that the five Commanders will go forward as they recommended. It is impossible at present to predict what form or status the Five-Power Group might eventually assume, what possible new terms of reference it might be given by the five governments, or what relationships, if any, it might establish with other organizations. For the moment, the agreement is, as Ambassador Spender knows, that the Group is not to have a formal or elaborate organization but rests on an ad hoc, on-call, need-to-know basis. In due course we would expect to hear Admiral Radford’s views on this. Meanwhile we consider that the Five-Power Group is performing a very useful service.
- 2.
- Question: Is there any chance that the Five-Power Group might supplant the ANZUS Military Representatives group? Answer: We certainly do not think so. The ANZUS relationship rests on a Treaty, and the Treaty established the ANZUS Council. The Council obviously requires military advisers. In terms of the substance of the Treaty and of the proper functioning of the Council there has to be an ANZUS Military Representatives group. We have been very pleased by the progress made by the ANZUS Military Representatives group in which Admiral Radford has been our Representative, and we understand the Australians and New Zealanders have also been pleased. Those of us interested in ANZUS are gratified by Admiral Radford’s appointment to the Chairmanship of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,2 where he will bring with him first-hand knowledge of the ANZUS relationship.
- 3.
- Question: Would it be possible to establish a relationship between ANZUS and ANZAM? (Ambassador Spender asked this question with particular reference to the forthcoming Commonwealth Conference in London at which Churchill, Menzies, and Holland are expected to discuss among themselves the United Kingdom position vis-à-vis ANZUS. You will recall that ANZAM is the U.K.–Australian-New Zealand military group, with headquarters in Melbourne, which engages in planning for the defense of the Australasian area.) Answer: The ANZUS and ANZAM military groups have certain common objectives, especially plans for the defense of Southeast Asia. Moreover, certain individual Australian and New Zealand military officers represent their countries in each group. Again, as a matter of policy determined by the ANZUS Council at the government level, the ANZUS partners keep the United Kingdom fully and currently informed of the plans and proceedings of the ANZUS Council. Thus there exists a sound basis for de facto cooperation. The question whether some sort of formal relationship should be established between ANZUS and ANZAM cannot be answered at present. We should be interested to learn of any ideas that may come out of the conversations in London, and on our side we shall eventually want to get the views of Admiral Radford. Depending on these factors, the matter is one which the Council might wish to discuss at its next meeting.