790.5/5–354: Telegram
The Under Secretary of State (Smith) to the Department of State
Dulte 48. For the Secretary. Terribly sorry to miss saying goodbye to you, but could not leave the meeting of 16. I asked Eden to wish you safe home and give you affectionate farewell for me.
After the meeting Alan Watt, now head of Australian delegation and my former colleague in Moscow, stopped in for a private talk. He said that he and Australian delegation all deeply disturbed and distressed at position taken by Britain.
As former Minister of Defense, he was one of those who early appreciated danger inherent in SEA situation and double danger of British attitude that the “tight little island” must be considered first, was aware that in event of trouble there was only one source from which Australia and New Zealand could expect real aid and that was United States. He went on to say that the Australian delegation had been unable at any time to ascertain real British position and was never informed of events until “about five minutes too late to do anything useful”. I reviewed our own position and gave him a good deal of the background, including some of Churchill’s statements to Radford which confirmed his own opinion.1 He concluded by saying how regrettable it was that impending election made it impossible for Australia at the moment to take a stronger line, but he felt confident that if the government won, we could count on full measure of support. He said, quite correctly, that if the government lost and the Labor Party came in, the entire defense program of Australia in which we were so greatly interested through ANZUS would break down.
After plenary session today and tomorrow, there will probably not be another until the end of the week. Spaak2 sent word that he would be prepared to speak Thursday or Friday,3 preferably Friday, so will try to have week end plenary on that date. At the meeting this morning, Eden openly and forcibly rejected every suggestion made by other participants that he speak. I am having supper alone with him tonight and will give you a report tomorrow.
- Regarding Admiral Radford’s visit to the United Kingdom in April, see telegram 4725, Apr. 26, vol. xiii, Part 2, p. 1416.↩
- Paul-Henri Spaak, Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs.↩
- May 6–7.↩