Cablegram T121 CANBERRA, 21 June 1947
IMMEDIATE SECRET
Your I.T.O. 130, 134, 140 and 147.
Following are views of Cabinet Sub-Committee regarding World Conference:
1. Whilst generally we favour such conferences being held at seat of United Nations, we are prepared to leave the matter of place of Conference to your discretion.
2. The proposal of India and China for postponement of Conference till January should be supported. Committee is not impressed with the need for speed in bringing into force either the Charter or General Agreement, or for early action by U.S. Congress. The Sub- Committee wishes to avoid undue haste in the preparation of any necessary legislation for Parliamentary approval, and is not impressed very strongly by the reasons given for attempting to hold Conference in 1947. Moreover, Assembly probably would finish before end of November. The wool difficulty does not case the task of explaining undue haste.
3. Invitations should be extended to the Allied Control Authorities as such of Germany, Japan and Korea, on the grounds that these territories must eventually be brought within the general scheme of world trade. While the presence of other enemy and ex-enemy countries is not favoured you need not oppose it if other countries want it. No objections to the odds and ends.
4. No obvious interest of Australia seems to be involved in the question of whether territories enjoying commercial but not complete political autonomy should be invited and you may support the views of the United Kingdom in this regard.[1]
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1 The Preparatory Committee subsequently recommended to the Social and Economic Council that it convene the conference on 21 November in Havana. The Resolution was adopted by Council on 28 July.
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[AA : A1068 ER47/1/29]