Cablegram CGA324 NEW YORK, 19 June 1946, 6.09 p.m.
SECRET
Trusteeship. Your 873. [1]
1. The Minister desires Eggleston and Bailey to consider the draft of the trusteeship agreement [2] and forward their views as to the form and necessary contents. The Minister’s view is that the document should be as short as possible and expressed in general terms. Important thing is to bring some territories under the United Nations trusteeship and get the system started. Objectives and obligations are laid down in the charter and there is no need to repeat the charter objectives in the agreement. Details such as those suggested by the United States and those in the United Kingdom and New Zealand drafts seem more appropriate for subsequent discussions year by year between the trustee state [and] trusteeship council.
2. As to the states directly concerned the Minister adheres to his view as expressed in telegram No.23 [3] to the Dominions Office repeated to New Zealand No. 13. He also approves of the American view as stated in D.567 that as means of arriving at document suitable for submission to the Assembly consultation is to be preferred to negotiation and possible [4] of the states directly concerned or to formal agreement and signature. No commitment as to what states are ‘directly concerned’ is necessary. The procedure of consultation should satisfy both those who feel they have a claim to be the states directly concerned and those other- wise interested.
3. These views will be conveyed informally to the State Department and have been given informally to the New Zealand Minister in Washington.
4. The Minister wishes New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States to be the states consulted by us but the matter should be cleared first with New Zealand.
5. Reply to New Zealand should be that we will gladly consult New Zealand as to the terms of our draft when formulated and would appreciate being taken into consultation on the[ir] draft.
Substance of the foregoing should be conveyed officially to New Zealand.
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1 Dispatched on 11 June, it reported receipt of a N.Z. draft trusteeship agreement for Western Samoa.
2 A draft trusteeship agreement for New Guinea had been prepared in the Department of External Affairs in April-May.
3 Document 26.
4 A sign here indicates ‘word is omitted’.
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[AA:A1838/2, 306/1/1, i]