Background to Australian - New Zealand Conference for use at your
discretion if required to counter suggestion of anti-American bias
it can be stated authoritatively that Australian New Zealand
Conference discussions and decisions were not in the slightest
degree anti-American as suggested some quarters here. In fact
consultations with United States will follow in the hope and
expectation of greatest possible degree of co-operation.

Suggestions followed publication 18.1.44 Keith Murdoch's article
[2] wherein stated first broad line Australian policy must be the
encouragement in every way of British and American interest in all
these parts. The first course he suggested should be to seek
definitions of British and American policy. In Canberra the first
consideration should be to build in American interests through the
South Pacific to the full extent of which Americans are prepared
to accept the responsibilities and the opportunities of co-
operation.

Canberra view is that no American territory is involved and the
first discussions should be among those powers with sovereignty.

This is merely a preliminary to the discussions which must follow
in Washington and London. Object of present conference is to
secure the desirable result that Australia and New Zealand will be
able to speak with a strong and united voice upon subjects of
mutual concern. It is recognised there may be difficulty in
reaching general agreement of all powers involved upon the
machinery necessary to assure an adequate security system,
therefore it has been advantageous to secure agreement between the
two countries, Australia and New Zealand, which are most
intimately and closely affected.

It is stated that conference was only anti-Axis and anti-Tokio.