Memorandum, Washington, 9 June 1950
NO. 1424/50. CONFIDENTIAL
Pacific Defence Pact In a recent informal conversation between Mr. Plimsoll[1] and Mr. Wainhouse,[2] Deputy Director, United Nations Division of the State Department, Mr. Wainhouse made the following comment in a personal capacity. He said that Australia should not be discouraged by the failure of the State Department to respond more cordially to the Minister’s request for a Pacific Defence Pact. He urged that the Australian Government should keep this issue alive, possibly by following up Mr. Acheson’s comments[3] on Mr. Spender’s speech and possibly by another public statement. He assured Mr. Plimsoll that there was strong support in the Department for a Pacific Pact, but that the Department should be given further material to work on.
2. With regard to the above, we shall ensure that the Minister’s remarks[4] of 8th June on the Pacific Defence Pact are conveyed to the State Department.
_1 James Plimsoll, First Secretary, Australian Mission to the United Nations, New York, and Washington.
2 David W. Wainhouse.
3 Acheson had addressed the Commonwealth Club of California at San Francisco on 15 March. In this address he had welcomed Spender’s statement on foreign policy to the House of Representatives on 9 March (see editorial note - Spender’s Statement in the House of Representatives - 9 March 1950) and had commended the free nations of Asia for proceeding with programmes for political stability and economic development.
4 See editorial note - The Scope of the Pacific Pact.
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[NAA : A1838, 383/1/2/8, iv]