Canberra, 13 October 1969
You will remember that in 1965, with the approval of the then Minister for External Affairs,1 I proposed orally to you that a couple of indigenous persons from the Territory of Papua and New Guinea should attend the External Affairs course on foreign service training which begins early each year and that thereafter they should work within the Department of External Affairs, both in Australia and overseas, as preparation for the day when New Guinea either became independent—in which case it would need a diplomatic service of its own—or had some other relationship with Australia—in which case New Guineans would need to be associated in some way with the Australian diplomatic service. In reply, you told me that you could not make anyone available, as you considered that there were higher priorities in demands for the limited number of New Guineans available for government service. You said that the Administrator (Mr David Hay)2 was of the same view. Indeed, Mr Hay, when I discussed the matter with him later, indicated that he did not favour New Guineans being trained in diplomacy at that stage.
I spoke to you about this again in 1967, and you were at that time still of the view that New Guineans could not be made available for this training.
I write to you again now, with the approval of the present Minister for External Affairs,3 to ask that you consider making two or more indigenous men from New Guinea available from early next year. There would, I know, be a number of practical matters to be worked out, in association with the Public Service Board, to enable the men concerned to continue working in the Department of External Affairs without infringing regulations of the Public Services of the Commonwealth or of the Territory of Papua and New Guinea. There is no point in going into those matters if you do not wish to nominate anyone for next year. If you do wish to proceed, details could be discussed by the appropriate officer of your Department with the Senior Assistant Secretary, Management Services (Mr K.G. Brennan) of this Department, who will also be able to give your Department an indication of the qualifications desirable in any nominees and other matters relating to training and service. My own view continues to be, as it has been for some years, that Australia should be training persons from New Guinea to be able to serve in the foreign service of an independent New Guinea. Furthermore, if we build up within the next few years a group of Australian-trained foreign service officers, this will greatly facilitate co-operation between Australia and an independent New Guinea.4
[NAA: A1838, 936/6/10 part 1]
1 Paul Hasluck.
2 In fact, Cleland was Administrator at this time.
3 Gordon Freeth.
4 Plimsoll had also written to the Department of Health suggesting that PNG should seek associate membership of the World Health Organization (WHO) because this was ‘customary for territories on the way to independence’ and because it was ‘desirable that the Territory’s indigenous representatives should gain experience of attendance at international meetings’ (letter, Plimsoll to Sir William Refshauge (Director-General of Health), 21 August 1969, NAA: A452, 1968/6139). In a letter to Health, copied to Plimsoll, Warwick Smith later wrote that ‘this is a matter on which consideration ought to be deferred for the time being. We have come to this conclusion for two main reasons. The first is that the benefits likely to accrue seem few … The second relates to the future of the Territory and its political development. Associate Membership of any international organisation might be taken as presupposing the shape of a self-determined Papua and New Guinea or an indication that the Government is hastening moves towards self-determination ahead of the timing considered appropriate by the majority of the people of the Territory’ (letter, Warwick Smith to Refshauge, 22 September 1969, ibid.).