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Historical documents

235 Commonwealth Government to Melville

Cablegram 12 CANBERRA, 22 July 1944

MOST IMMEDIATE SECRET

For Melville.

1. Your Financial 37. [1] We have received representations to the
following effect from the United States Minister at Canberra:

'The Secretary-General of the Conference [2] has officially
explained in the Conference Journal that the signature of the
Final Act would be a simple certification by those signing the
record presented. The Final Act is a simple record of what has
transpired at the Conference and the signature is nothing more
than a statement by the signer that he was present at the
Conference and that this is an accurate record of what occurred.

It does not involve in any way the Delegation's approval of the
text drawn up at the Conference.' [3]

2. The United States Minister has also made it clear that the
Australian Government is not being asked to withdraw the
instruction [4] requiring their delegate to abstain from voting on
the Conference resolution adopting the Articles of Agreement of
the Fund and the Bank.

3. It has also been made clear from your own telegram that you
abstained from voting on the Conference resolution adopting
Articles of Agreement of the Fund and the Bank.

4. In the light of representations from Washington and London [5]
we are accepting the assurance that your signature of the Final
Act will amount to nothing more than a certification by you as
signer that the record to which the signature is attached is an
accurate record of what occurred. On this footing you are now
instructed to attach your signature to the Final Act but your
signature should be followed by the words 'for purposes of
certification'.

5. Of course, this in no way alters your previous instruction to
abstain from voting on the Conference resolution adopting the
Articles of Agreement of the Fund and the Bank.

1 Document 233.

2 Dr Warren Kelchner, Chief of the Division of International
Conferences, U.S. State Department.

3 The full text of the U.S. aide-memoire dated 22 July is on file
AA:A989, 44/735/56/10, i.

4 Document 230.

5 Document 231.


[AA:A989, 44/735/56/10, i]
Last Updated: 11 September 2013
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