Cable 392 CANBERRA, 22 July 1949, 4.05 p.m.
CONFIDENTIAL Your 627. [1]
Please inform Romulo that the Minister has always been in favour of some form of regional association that would provide for closer co-operation and consultation between Australia and the Philippines and other countries of Asia and the Pacific having interests and problems in common. The informal approach made through Romulo suggests that the President of the Philippines may have something of this kind in view. Romulo will recall that the Governments represented at the New Delhi Conference on Indonesia in January of this year adopted a resolution looking towards the establishment of suitable machinery for consultation among themselves within the framework of the United Nations, and that since the conference preliminary steps have been taken to carry this resolution into effect. The Australian Government believes that if the concept of a regional association or pact within the framework of the United Nations is to become a reality it should develop from the initiative already taken at the New Delhi Conference, and that the launching of separate proposals at this stage could possibly lead to confusion. Please convey to Romulo the Minister’s personal compliments.
_
1 Document 150.
_
[AA:A1838/278, 383/1/2/8, i]