Office of the Historian

790.5/7–1554: Telegram

The Ambassador in Australia (Peaslee) to the Department of State

secret
Canberra, July 15, 1954—4 p.m.

25. Casey, in conference which he requested this morning, reviewed generally SEA matters with following principal points.

  • First: Casey “one of those optimistic about usefulness of Geneva”, principally the bringing together of rival military leaders. Casey has instructed McIntyre from London to proceed Geneva as observer.
  • Second: External Affairs cabled its missions fourteenth External Affairs suggestions respecting American draft SEATO Treaty1 including:
    (a)
    Eliminating last five words in Article II and striking out in Article II, sub-division 2, the words “affected by an aggression which is not an armed attack or by any other factor situation which might endanger the peace of the area, the parties”, and substituting the words “threatened in any way other than by armed aggression”.
    (b)
    Adding a new clause reading substantially that the treaty does not authorize sending foreign forces to a country without the country’s consent. (I asked what would be the definition of “foreign” and the definition of “country’s” without much enlightenment.)
    (c)
    A recommendation to insert a permissive clause dealing with economic and Point IV assistance.
  • Third: Australia has not been supplied with text of British “draft declaration of association with the terms of an agreement on Indochina” mentioned your circular 16 July 8,2 nor did Australia know that such actual draft had been submitted. Casey said he favors in principle, however, a joint declaration supporting settlement, if settlement reached, and which would include signature Communist China. I inquired whether Australian willingness would be affected by almost certain US unwillingness and inevitable public interpretation of joint signatures. Casey said Australian attitude toward joint declaration would be seriously affected. Then referred to possible effort for commonwealth joint declaration which he said Dulles has also mentioned, and possibly paralleling individual or group declarations.
  • Fourth: Casey confirmed Australia considers immediate SEATO Treaty urgent. Envisages members as UK, US, Australia, New Zealand, France, Philippines, Thailand, with possibility Pakistan,3 regarding which he urged further exploration. Also suggested provision for accession later of others.
Peaslee
  1. Reference is to the draft of July 9. See the comparative texts in SEAP D–2, Aug. 2, p. 686.↩
  2. Not printed.↩
  3. Enclosed with despatch 20 from Canberra, July 16, is a memorandum of the conversation summarized in telegram 25. The memorandum reads in part: “[Casey] also mentioned his belief that too little attention had been paid to the possibility of bringing Pakistan into this regional organization; he had had, for instance, a recent conversation with Sir Zafrullah Khan, the Pakistan Ambassador in Washington, in which Sir Zafrullah had implied an interest in SEATO; if the Pakistanis could be persuaded to adhere to the SEATO organization, Mr. Casey felt that this might strengthen it and could conceivably influence other more ‘neutralist’ countries to take a more active interest in collective defense.” (790.5/7–1654)↩