Cablegram 169 [1] CANBERRA, 31 August 1944
IMMEDIATE PERSONAL TO BRUCE FROM EVATT SECRET
Please see our 207 to Dominions Office on Civil Aviation. [2] My personal view is that this conference should take advantage of the occasion to discuss our general policy in international civil aviation as laid down in the Australia - New Zealand Agreement.
[3] The recent United States attitude to the British Air Service to South America [4] illustrates the necessity of either (1) Maximum international control of trunk routes, or alternatively (2) British Commonwealth Government routes.
The objective should be to bring the United States into an international conference as early as possible so that a halt can be called to the United States inclination to favour arrangements which differ in no great respect from pre-war procedure which was the antithesis of international collaboration in the interests of all.
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1 Sent through the External Affairs Officer in London.
2 Document 259.
3 Document 26.
4 In cablegram D1086, dispatched 1 August (on file AA:A5954, box 658), Cranborne reported that the U.S. Govt had asked for disproportionate concessions on U.K. routes in return for approval of a U.K. service to South America.
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[AA:A989, 44/735/832/12]