Canberra, 29 June 1951
729, 3850. CONFIDENTIAL IMMEDIATE
Colombo Plan
- American Embassy has informed us that U.K. had invited U.S. to attend meeting of Consultative Committee at official level in September or October—
(a) to revise report;
(b) to consider permanent secretariat:
(c) to prepare for meeting of Ministers.
- U.S. has asked our views on whether—
(a) we want U.S. participation;
(b) we consider meeting desirable.
Embassy commented that they were not sure of usefulness of U.S. participation. On the question of permanent secretariat, they said they were sympathetic but saw no hope of obtaining funds from Congress to finance it.
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U.K. gave us no advance knowledge of their approach. Our general aim is to get the Consultative Committee established as soon as practicable as a forum for Asian and nonAsian countries to discuss Asian development problems. Even though, in order to ensure U.S. participation, it will no doubt be necessary to eliminate any detailed discussion of U.S. aid programmes, the Committee would serve a valuable political purpose in Western policy towards Asia. We are not sure that this point has been sufficiently impressed on the Americans. Also, it could conceivably be used to influence U.S. bilateral methods of according aid.
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At same time it will be some months before it is known whether there are to be U.S. contributions to Colombo Plan countries. We think it premature to call a meeting as meeting might prove embarrassing if U.S. aid was insufficient to Colombo Plan to proceed even in revised form. No such harm could flow from a meeting of officials which in any case could usefully re-examine the London estimates and discuss progress.
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We are therefore telling the Embassy verbally and informally that:
(a) We would not want meeting to take place without U.S. participation;
(b) The last meeting (see minutes) recommended that another should be held as soon as practicable;
(c) We would favour a meeting of officials:
(i) to re-examine the estimates of needs and position of non-participants in the dra;
(ii) to take note of decisions which will by then have been made by governments concerning aid to area;
(iii) to exchange views on co-ordination;
(iv) to discuss further the question of an annual report (treating permanent secretarial assistance incidentally);
(v) to consider question of a ministerial conference.
(d) We are not decided at this stage on the desirability of a ministerial meeting.
(e) We are not decided on location for a meeting of officials and would like U.S. views.
(f) The time of the meeting should preferably be after IMF and Bank meetings and before the General Assembly.
(For London only).
- Please convey to U.K. authorities views contained in this message and say we would like U.K. views, particularly as we are not sure that we know precisely what proposal they put to the United States.
[NAA: A9879, 2202/E1 part 4]