790.5/6–2454
Memorandum of Conversations, by the Director of the Office of British Commonwealth and Northern European Affairs (Raynor)
top secret
Washington, June 24,
1954.
Subject:
- New Zealand Views
Participants:
- Mr. A. D. MacIntosh, Permanent Secretary of New Zealand—Department of External Affairs
- Mr. L. T. Merchant, Assistant Secretary, EUR (Separately)
- Mr. H. Raynor, Director, BNA (Separately)
When Mr. MacIntosh called on Mr. Merchant he first inquired about the nature of the forthcoming Churchill talks. Mr. Merchant explained their informal nature and the fact that there would be no agenda and indicated he thought the areas of greatest concentration would be Southeast Asia, the EDC–German complex in Europe and the subject of atomic energy.
In this talk and a separate talk Mr. Raynor later had with Mr. MacIntosh the following New Zealand views were fairly clearly put by Mr. MacIntosh:
- 1)
- New Zealand feels strongly that some form of broad regional arrangement for Southeast Asia should be developed and the sooner the better. In this connection Mr. MacIntosh at least seemed to feel that an effort should be made to draw the line some where in the area beyond which further Communist aggression would be resisted. The impression was obtained that Mr. MacIntosh personally seemed to think probably all of Viet Nam was lost. He gave the impression that he would like to see, if possible, Cambodia and Laos on the free side of the line.
- 2)
- He stated very strongly the New Zealand view that his Government treasures the ANZUS relationship and this must not disappear as a part of any new organization.
- 3)
- He expressed the view that it was important to start discussions as early as possible with a group of states as the present handling of this bilaterally in various talks was most difficult and he would think unsatisfactory.
- 4)
- He expressed regret that the matter of the ANZUS Minute1 and possibly other matters had been put to his Government on a hypothetical basis saying it was very hard for politicians to agree to something based on hypothetical situations. It was easier for politicians to reach a decision when they had before them a proposal to meet a concrete or existing situation.
- 5)
- He stressed the very great difficulty New Zealand has public-opinion wise of taking a position different from that of the U.K. and expressed the strongest kind of hope that we could work out these matters so that the U.K. would go along. The implication of his remarks was that the ANZUS Minute problem had been complicated for them because of the U.K. attitude thereon.