Cablegram 235 CANBERRA, 1 December 1943
MOST SECRET
Your 204 paragraph 2. [1] Canadian Mutual Aid.
1. Circumstances in which United Kingdom-United States of America Mutual Aid Agreement was signed are very different from those prevailing to-day.
2. Inclusion in Canadian agreement of proposed article which suggests tariff commitment would receive wide publicity here and provoke controversy which would be most embarrassing and which we must avoid at all costs.
3. You should indicate position frankly to the Prime Minister stating that Australian Government, while appreciating general Canadian desire to have reference to Mutual Aid principles, hopes that present agreement with Canada will be confined solely to actual provisions for implementing Mutual Aid.
4. Please tell Prime Minister from myself that no one can appreciate better than he the danger of causing local political repercussions whenever this can be avoided.
_1 Cablegram 204 of 5 November is on file AA:A2671, 380/1943.
Paragraph (2) read:
‘(2) As anticipated in paragraph 1 of my telegram 180 [Canadian Mutual Aid] Board insisted on insertion of article in main body of agreement along lines of Article 7 of U.S.-U.K. Agreement. Only substantial difference is omission of the clause referring to “the elimination of all forms of discriminatory treaty in International Commerce”. I have made it clear at all stages that we take the strongest exception to the insertion of such an article (paragraph 2 of your telegram 183) and it has been included with full knowledge of our objections. Canadians point out- (a) That we have subscribed to the principle of Article 7.
(b) That we are committed to the policy of the Atlantic Charter.
In view of this and of the fact that the U.K., U.S.S.R. and China have apparently raised no objection to the new article I feel it is unlikely that I shall be able to secure its deletion but would be grateful for advice as to what action you wish me to take.’ Glasgow’s cablegram 180 of 26 September is on file AA:A989, 43/735/152 and Evatt’s cablegram 183 of 30 September is in FA:A3196, 1943, 0.27018.
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[FA:A3196, 1943, FOLDER, OUTWARDS MOST SECRET MASTER SHEETS, 0.33077]