Cablegram 1043 CANBERRA, 22 February 1946
IMMEDIATE
Reparations. Authority is given to signing the Reparations Agreement but you should advise the appropriate authority that the matter is still under discussion by the Government here and leave the way open to withdrawal if the Government should so direct. [1] It would be understood of course that if we did withdraw we would revert to the position of a non signatory.
Your P.21. Composition of the delegation as in External Affairs Cablegram No. 82 is approved. [2]
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1 Hodgson signed the agreement, with this reservation, on 25 February.
2 Cablegram 82 from London had suggested Walker as delegate to the Assembly of the inter-Allied Reparations Agency, with Cochrane as alternate.
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[AA:A3196, 1946, 0.3746]