Cablegram 467 CANBERRA, 22 December 1945
MOST IMMEDIATE SECRET
Your telegram D.2267. [1]
1. We agree that India’s very substantial effort in the European War justifies full participation in the Peace Conference. India’s position in world affairs has already been recognized by foundation membership of the United Nations and should not again be held in question. Similarly the question has now been decided in the case of the Ukraine and White Russia.
2. As to the Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian Soviet Republics the contributions of their respective populations in the European war may have been considerable but the question still to be determined is the extent to which each is capable in law and in fact of independent existence as a state in the field of foreign relations.
3. If it is now decided to recognize the right of these Republics to attend the Peace Conference this will be grounds both for their recognition as States and their application for membership of the United Nations. As you suggest this trend may in due course be inevitable but before recognizing it we should be satisfied that the Soviet Republics will show some capacity for taking an independent attitude in foreign relations. It is relevant to point out that the two Soviet Republics were recognized at San Francisco as being independent and this was reason for inclusion but in fact on no occasion were they known to act independently.
4. If such a concession is necessary to ensure the calling of the Peace Conference which gives an adequate voice to every active belligerent we agree that it should be considered. However we do not agree that the matter should be determined now. Active belligerents of the United Nations in the European war should be invited to the Conference and the credentials Committee of the Conference would make the final decision as to who else should be included as was the case at San Francisco. The most that could be done now is to agree to support application on the part of Baltic Republics.
5. We agree strongly with your paragraph 11 and consider that the Conference should have full power to decide all issues before it.
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1 Document 469.
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[AA : A1066, E45/1/30]