Memorandum (extract), CANBERRA, 5 March 1948
Our opposition to elections in Southern Korea at the discussions of the Interim Committee was based upon the conviction that a recommendation of such a nature by the Interim Committee would be a distortion of the Assembly resolution and, therefore, in excess of the Interim Committee’s authority. However, despite the defeat of our proposals, we have agreed to co-operate with the Temporary Commission in implementation of the wishes of the majority. We have, therefore, asked Canada, who shared our attitude at the Interim Committee, to support us in combating a further distortion of the Temporary Commission’s mandate. The Canadian Government has been informed that we will attempt to divert the Commission from activities which we regard as contrary to the intention of the Assembly resolution.
In view of the third point embodied in the Interim Committee’s letter of transmittal, you should not oppose any decision that observation of elections in Southern Korea would be impracticable in view of the resources available to the Temporary Commission, and, in the event of the elections taking place under the supervision of the Commission, the utmost vigilance should be exercised to ensure that elections are held in a genuinely free atmosphere. There should be no hesitation in reporting to the committee any restrictions or procedural irregularities likely to interfere with a true reflection of the people’s will.
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[AA : A1838, 852/20/4, III]