Your telegram No. 247 [2], Civil Aviation.

The urgency of holding an International Conference is recognised,
but we must emphasise our previously expressed view [3] that the
objectives of the proposed conference as outlined by the United
States [4] are altogether too narrow to permit of any worthwhile
discussions on international air transport. There seems to be an
attempt to confine discussions to the pattern which the United
States alone has advocated and to ignore the proposals that have
been put forward by other nations for the establishment of an
International Air Transport Authority clothed with executive as
well as regulatory powers over international routes and services.

It seems more necessary than ever that the proposed Commonwealth
meeting on an expert level [5] be held before Commonwealth
countries attend the International Conference in the United States
of America. Such a meeting, in addition to discussing plans for
the development of intra-Commonwealth air services, should also be
required to formulate a common policy and define objectives for
the provision of services with non-Empire countries. The aim
should be to evolve a formula which would extend the pattern for
intra-Commonwealth services to all foreign countries willing to
participate. The arrangements entered into would be with
Commonwealth countries as a whole and not with individual Empire
countries.

Such a step, if taken by Commonwealth Nations, may do more than
anything else to discourage the attempts being made by the United
States of America to deal with Empire countries individually and
even with other countries and might encourage the seeking of a
formula by the United Nations as a whole for the co-operative
operation of international services under the aegis of an
International Air Transport Authority. It seems evident from
recent trends that unless the British Commonwealth has some well-
defined plan for the operation of its own Commonwealth service and
of external services with other nations on a non-exclusive basis,
there will be little hope of co-operation in international air
transport except in its technical aspects.

Our considered view is that 1st November is too early a date for
the International Conference. The meeting of Commonwealth experts
will require at least four weeks to formulate their proposals and
time must also be allowed for consideration of their
recommendations by the Commonwealth Governments. In those
circumstances, it does not seem possible that the Commonwealth
Governments can reach agreement before the beginning of December
at the earliest. The International Conference should accordingly
not be held until after that time.

These circumstances have been forced upon Commonwealth countries
by the actions of the United States and it seems essential to make
it clear that we are not going to be stampeded into holding an
International Conference on lines with which we are in fundamental
disagreement.

As to the venue of the proposed Commonwealth meeting of civil
aviation experts, we find difficulty in arranging for suitable
Australian representatives to proceed overseas during October and
the Commonwealth Government would accordingly be glad if
consideration could be given to holding the meeting in Canberra.

All representatives could be assembled in Australia by air travel
in less than ten days from the date of notification of the
meeting. The provisional scheme for Commonwealth air services [6]
to be submitted to the meeting is an Australian proposal and
Canberra may be a less distracting and more suitable venue for the
meeting from many points of view.