Cablegram Financial 37 BRETTON WOODS, 21 July 1944, 1.07 p.m.
IMMEDIATE SECRET
Following from Melville for the Minister for External Affairs and the Treasurer. Monetary Conference.
1. At the executive plenary session of the Conference yesterday afternoon after [1] appeals from the United Kingdom and the United States it was decided unanimously not to include any reservations with the final act but to record them in the Minutes of the various Committees. In view of the fact that we were not voting I did not offer any opposition.
2. In accordance with your instructions [2] I did not vote on the motion to adopt the report of Commission I(i) on the fund and asked that a record to this effect be made in the Minutes of the meeting.
3. I established that the Australian Government had made no judgement upon the draft proposals [3] but thought that in its consideration of the report it might be embarrassed if Australian officials were thought to have publicly approved it.
4. As instructed I stated that I would submit the report of the Conference to the Government after which the Government would submit it to Parliament for consideration.
5. The Canadian representative [4] emphasized that it had been made quite clear that nothing done at this Conference could bind the Governments.
6. Morgenthau told the Conference from the Chair that the State Department was explaining carefully to the Australian Government the completely non-committal nature of the proceedings and the final act. [5] 7. The motion was then adopted without opposition or further comment.
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1 A sign here indicated ‘mutilated’. The Bretton Woods copy (on file AA:CP10/1, bundle 1, [file 1] read ‘afternoon in response to’.
2 Document 230.
3 See Document 191, note 1.
4 W. A. Mackintosh, Special Assistant to the Canadian Deputy Minister of Finance and member of the Canadian Delegation.
5 See Document 235.
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[AA:A989, 44/735/56/10, i]