Cablegram 438 CANBERRA, 4 December 1945
IMMEDIATE SECRET
Bretton Woods Monetary Proposals.
We note from your D.2173 [1] that you may be submitting the Bretton Woods proposals to your Parliament for their consideration during December with a view to acceptance of membership before the closing date for original membership, i.e. 31st December 1945. You do not, however, make any reference to the possibility of extending the closing date for original membership in order to meet the position of those countries which had deferred consideration of the proposals pending advice of the decision of the United States Congress and the United Kingdom Parliament.
As indicated in our 317 [2] of the 28th September, 1945, it is now impossible for the Australian Parliament to consider the proposals until after the New Year and we should therefore be grateful for your earliest advices regarding the extension of the closing date for original membership which we understand you were seeking to arrange.
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1 Dispatched 1 December. On file AA : A1066, ER45/1/5.
2 On file AA : A3196, 1945, O.25107. Parliament adjourned on 5 October and did not resume until 6 March 1946.
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[AA : A1067, ER46/12/2, i]