Colombo, 22 January 1951
4. IMMEDIATE SECRET
Colombo Plan
Your telegram No. 9.2
Invitations to non-Commonwealth countries. Our invitations to the Governments of Thailand, Philippines, Cambodia, Viet Nam and Laos may now be transmitted as amended by the deletion of the first sentence of paragraph 2 of the draft suggested in my earlier telegram No. 12.3 There reference to the agenda in paragraph 3 may also be omitted and ‘ten days’ substituted for ‘two weeks’ with regard to the duration of the meeting.
Without having on the agenda the question of the position of non-Commonwealth Governments in the area which have not yet agreed to participate it would be preferable if your representatives in the countries concerned suggested orally to those Governments after transmitting our invitations the desirability of their being in a position to indicate their attitude in this matter at the meeting. Similar instructions will be given to our representatives in Burma and Indonesia when they hand over the invitations to those Governments. It would also be helpful if other Commonwealth representatives in all these countries also at the same time suggested to those Governments the desirability and advantages of participation in the Colombo Plan. The United Kingdom and Ceylon Representatives can be directed to inform their colleagues as soon as they hand in the invitation to the Governments concerned.
[NAA: A9879, 2202/B]
1 The cablegram was also sent to the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations, and the Governments of Canada, New Zealand, India and Pakistan.
2 Not published.
3 Not published.