Cablegram 329, CANBERRA, 19 July 1948
IMMEDIATE SECRET
Your UN.636 and 637. New Guinea.
Further to telephone conversation with Forsyth you may if necessary agree to additional clause along lines of paragraph 12 of your 637. Objective should be a resolution along lines of (a) in your 636, which might in addition express satisfaction at willingness of administering authorities, after discussion in Council, to reiterate in Bill its intention to maintain separate status of trust territory.
2. It is clear that United States and Chinese representatives hold the key to a satisfactory resolution and you should be making every effort privately to secure their support. Facts are:-
1. Powers of the administering authority are those set out in the Agreement in Articles 4 and 5 particularly 4. Article 5 mentions certain powers but is not exclusive or limiting.
2. Agreement makes administering authority responsible for decision as to the form of government of the territory.
3. Discussion involving such inexact and untechnical terms or concepts as administrative union, political union, fiscal or customs union, etc. is to be deprecated.
4. Bill is fully in accord with both Agreement and declaration of 1946.
3. Emphasis on these points can be coupled with expression of willingness to modify Bill on lines of paragraph 1 above.
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[AA : A518, 103/3/3]