Australian Government - Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Advancing the interests of Australia and Australians internationally

Australian Government - Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Advancing the interests of Australia and Australians internationally

96 Sir Walford Selby, U.K. Ambassador to Portugal, to Commonwealth Government

Cablegram unnumbered LISBON, 31 May 1939, 11.59 a.m.

Your telegram of 25th May. [1] Minister for Colonies [2] informed the Commercial Secretary of this Embassy [3] on 26th May that he intended to arrive at a decision regarding the Timor Oil concessions before leaving with the President of the Republic [4] for Mozambique on June 20th. He added that it would not be possible to give Mr Dodson [5] the whole area he had asked for. The Commercial Secretary considers that he will give him the area covered by the old Staughton concession [6] and that Wittouck [7] has certain rights which cannot easily be rescinded.

1 Document 95.

2 Dr F.J.V. Machado.

3 A.H.W. King.

4 General A.O. Fragoso de Carmona.

5 A.R. Dodson, representative of Oil Search Limited.

6 See Documents on Australian Foreign Policy 1937-49, vol. 1, Document 49.

7 Serge F. Wittouck, Director of Asia Investment Company and President of Allied Mining Corporation.

[AA: A1608, L52/1/1]

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