Cablegram 114 CANBERRA, 8 May 1947
TOP SECRET
Korea. Your telegram 91.
1. You will recall from our telegram 465 of 19th December, 1945 [1], repeated to New Zealand as No. 280, that although we consider a direct United Nations trusteeship for Korea preferable, we would be willing to accept a trusteeship in which Australia would be one of the trustees.
2. Your telegram 87, 4th March, 1946, repeated to New Zealand as No.39, confirmed that when the proposals of the United States/Soviet Joint Commission regarding trusteeship are accepted by the governments of the four powers, you intend to inform the governments of the United States, Soviet and China that you wish to substitute Australia for the United Kingdom as the fourth member of the trusteeship body.
3. The Chinese suggestion contained in paragraph 5 of your telegram 91 contemplates consultations between the four powers parties to the Moscow Agreement of December 1945 if the occupying powers cannot reach agreement. While it is too early to anticipate failure to reach agreement between occupying powers, in the event of four-power discussions we assume you will wish us to act in accordance with the accepted principle of paragraph 2.
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1 Volume VIII, Document 464.
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[AA : A1838, 3123/4/13]