Cablegram E120 CANBERRA, 21 November 1947, 5.50 a.m.
SECRET
1. Commonwealth Relations Office telegrams Nos. D.898 and 899 just received contain respectively text of Chinese Note dated 17th November to Governments of United Kingdom, United States of America and Union of Soviet Socialist Russia regarding preliminary Japanese Peace Conference, and United Kingdom Government’s comments.
2. Chinese Government takes note of differences of opinion which have arisen in regard to United States Government’s proposal of 26th June, 1947 [1], and affirms that Preliminary Peace Conference should not deviate from principles which govern composition and procedure of the Far Eastern Commission and which had the approval of all elected members of that Commission. Chinese Government accordingly proposed (a) a preliminary conference composed of all F.E.C. countries to be convened at an early date to be agreed by the United Kingdom, Soviet Union, United States and China, to draft Peace Treaty and ‘to determine matters pertaining to calling of final Peace Conference’; (b) all conference decisions to be taken by majority vote including concurring votes of United Kingdom, Soviet Union, United States and China.
3. Chinese Note also suggests that in event of agreement to foregoing proposals by United States, Soviet Union and United Kingdom Governments, and after date for preliminary conference has been fixed, United States Government be asked to issue invitations in the name of the four aforementioned powers to all other governments represented on F.E.C.
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1 Presumably this should read 26 July 1947, the date given in Cablegram D899.
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[AA : A1068, P47/10/61, v]