257

Burton to Evatt [1]

Cablegram 99 CANBERRA, 1 March 1949, 3 p.m.

MOST IMMEDIATE SECRET

The following would seem to be the attitude we should adopt on Indonesia. The Indians still seem to be pressing for another meeting of the Delhi conference and for consideration of sanctions. It is the Indonesians which are behind them and while they are probably right and The Hague conference will come to nothing it would seem folly to reject the idea of The Hague conference. Glad of your comment on this approach for guidance of New York and Batavia. [2]

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1 Accompanied by his wife and two secretaries, Evatt left Sydney on 28 February, travelling by air to London via New Delhi.

Arriving in London on 4 March, Evatt consulted with UK Ministers and officials, and led the Australian Government’s appeal in order to receive from the President of the French Republic the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour. On 2 April, he travelled from London by air to New York to preside over the second part of the third session of the UN General Assembly from 5 April to 18 May.

He returned to London by air, arriving on 20 May and flew from thence to Berlin, where he inspected the airlift, and from Berlin by special Royal Air Force plane to Munich. He left Munich on 5 June travelling by car to Rome via Florence. He arrived in Sydney on 13 June, having flown from London on 9 June.

2 A copy on file AA : A5009/2, A7/3/13, ii indicates that the text of Document 251 followed the first paragraph of Cablegram 99.

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[AA : A1838, 401/3/1/1, vi]