Cablegram UN970 NEW YORK, 10 December 1946, 2.49 a.m.
IMMEDIATE SECRET
Assembly 386. Trusteeship Novikov-Dulles talks.
1. The Ambassador and Bailey saw Byrnes Monday morning 9th and put the Australian views as in your UNY466. [1] Byrnes fully recognised the position taken up regarding participation as a principal in any discussions of future of Japanese Island territories. He was less sympathetic about the ‘consultation’ formula, saying that as long as eventual decision lay with Australia he did not think consultation would be harmful, and that the formula conceded so little that he was pretty sure Molotov would not accept it. Time permitted only a mention of United States draft for Trusteeship Agreement for Japanese Mandated Islands.
2. Owing to the absence of Bevin on Sunday and Monday morning and the Foreign Ministers meeting on Monday afternoon, the Ambassador was not able to see him. The views of the Government have been conveyed by letter today 9th December and we hope that a talk will take place tomorrow morning.
3. Meanwhile this afternoon 9th December the question of ‘States Directly Concerned’ came back into Sub-Committee. (See separate cable [2]).
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1 Document 286.
2 Cablegram UN971, dispatched 10 December, reported that the sub- committee had approved the U.S. proposal conveyed in cablegram Assembly 373 (UN954) of 8 December providing for approval of the draft agreements at the current session of the General Assembly without prejudice to future determination of ‘states directly concerned’, but without the addition referred to in paragraph 2 of Document 284. After the vote the ‘Soviet stated for record that decision was illegal according to Article 79 and all agreements would therefore be invalid’.
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[AA:A1067, P46/10/61, i]