Cablegram 12 CANBERRA, 22 July 1944
MOST IMMEDIATE SECRET
For Melville.
1. Your Financial 37. [1] We have received representations to the following effect from the United States Minister at Canberra:
‘The Secretary-General of the Conference [2] has officially explained in the Conference Journal that the signature of the Final Act would be a simple certification by those signing the record presented. The Final Act is a simple record of what has transpired at the Conference and the signature is nothing more than a statement by the signer that he was present at the Conference and that this is an accurate record of what occurred.
It does not involve in any way the Delegation’s approval of the text drawn up at the Conference.’ [3]
2. The United States Minister has also made it clear that the Australian Government is not being asked to withdraw the instruction [4] requiring their delegate to abstain from voting on the Conference resolution adopting the Articles of Agreement of the Fund and the Bank.
3. It has also been made clear from your own telegram that you abstained from voting on the Conference resolution adopting Articles of Agreement of the Fund and the Bank.
4. In the light of representations from Washington and London [5] we are accepting the assurance that your signature of the Final Act will amount to nothing more than a certification by you as signer that the record to which the signature is attached is an accurate record of what occurred. On this footing you are now instructed to attach your signature to the Final Act but your signature should be followed by the words ‘for purposes of certification’.
5. Of course, this in no way alters your previous instruction to abstain from voting on the Conference resolution adopting the Articles of Agreement of the Fund and the Bank.
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1 Document 233.
2 Dr Warren Kelchner, Chief of the Division of International Conferences, U.S. State Department.
3 The full text of the U.S. aide-memoire dated 22 July is on file AA:A989, 44/735/56/10, i.
4 Document 230.
5 Document 231.
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[AA:A989, 44/735/56/10, i]