Cablegram [UNY]371 CANBERRA, 19 November 1946
Your UN 716. [1]
1. The French suggestion in your paragraph 8 (b) that Secretary- General should prepare report and that discussion should be postponed for a few days in order to allow all members to consider all suggestions, is consistent with our view that matter should be left with the Assembly and not with the Big Five. Consequently, there is no objection to an adjournment of this nature.
2. Please advise immediately support for Australian amendment. [2] As we see it, there are 19 who have declared themselves in support. Six unknown but dependent on U.K. attitude. Eleven are definitely against. It would not appear therefore sufficient support is forthcoming. Discussion of the Secretary-General’s report summarising all suggestions should give opportunity sufficiently to amend proposals to obtain the support of few extra supporters required. It would appear from here to be wrong tactics to rush decision. Active canvassing is obviously necessary particularly of China, Chile, Peru, Nor-way, Luxemburg and those six referred to above as doubtful. Any adjournment should be for purposes of all members considering all suggestions and not for Big Five to reach a compromise and to return to Assembly with an agreed formula. This would most probably be unsatisfactory and impossible to amend. in short, procedure should be to obtain a factual report from Secretary-General covering all suggestions, postpone discussions until that is ready taking care Assembly retains initiative and that Big Five do not side-step discussion and force on the Assembly an agreed decision.
_
1 Document 222.
2 See Document 172, paragraph 7.
_
[AA:A1838/2, 852/10/5, i]