Cablegram 657 [1] WASHINGTON, 18 July 1944, 7.33 p.m.
MOST IMMEDIATE SECRET
Your 1050. [2]
I saw Hull and requested him to take appropriate action with a view to seeing that the delegates at the Monetary Conference should not be asked to sign a resolution recommending the plan formulated or to sign any other document. I gave grounds in accordance with your telegram and left with him a memorandum [3] based upon it. Hull in reply said that he had adopted in this and other conferences the method of assembling experts and other delegates on a lower level than the ministerial with a view of examining the more technical or detailed aspects of the matters to be considered and if possible agreeing upon them. In this way he was proceeding in the conferences upon security now to take place between United States of America, United Kingdom and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and the United States of America, the United Kingdom and China. These would not be attended by Foreign Secretaries or Ministers of Foreign Affairs, but by under secretaries. The governments would not be bound by the proceedings; but they would go into all the details and ramifications and attempt to present a combined result. He understood the difficulty and he would transmit the memorandum to the United States delegation and inform them of the view of the Australian Government. Although it was not a matter for him but for the Australian Government to decide he ventured to suggest that perhaps the Government might feel itself sufficiently protected if the Australian delegation were instructed to present the particular point of view and make it clear at the Conference, particularly as at this stage the main questions had been already decided.
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1 Repeated to London as no. 118.
2 Document 226.
3 Not located.
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[AA:A989, 44/735/56/10, i]