My telegrams D.235 and 236 of 7th February. [1]

1. As indicated in my telegram 6th February D.227 [2] we informed
the United Kingdom delegation at the Three Power Meeting of the
views of the Dominion Governments as then known. Your replies to
my D.227 have since been transmitted urgently to the Delegation
but before they had been received the Prime Minister has sent the
following personal message for communication urgently to you. The
text of the Prime Minister's message. Begins.

1. I have seen the telegrams from the Foreign Office reporting
that your Governments are unwilling to agree to Australian, New
Zealand, South African prisoners of war liberated by the Soviet
advance being employed by the Soviet authorities pending their
repatriation.

2. The really important thing is to ensure that our liaison
officers
should enter Soviet territories at once so as to make sure that
the terms
of any agreement are scrupulously carried out. The Soviet
Government
are unwilling to grant visas to these liaison officers until an
agreement has been concluded and I regard it as of paramount
importance therefore that such an agreement should be made at the
earliest possible moment.

3. After most careful consideration I have had Clause 6 redrafted
so as to make sure that the work is only permitted on a voluntary
basis. The Clause also contains the other conditions which have
been devised in order to give protection to our men. The time at
my disposal for concluding this matter is very short and I feel
sure that it would be best in all our interests that such an
agreement should cover men drawn from all parts of the British
Commonwealth. In these circumstances I should be glad to hear from
you as a matter of the greatest urgency whether you can agree to
your Government being bound by the terms of such an agreement.

Until I have received your reply to this telegram I will prepare
to reserve the position of your Government in any discussions
which we may have with the Soviet Government.

4. I add the original and amended drafts of Clause 6. Text of the
Prime Minister's message ends.

2. We are informing the Delegation as in paragraph 3 of my D.235
that Canadian, New Zealand and Union Governments have agreed to
provision being made for work on a voluntary basis and to the
inclusion of their personnel within the scope of the agreement
accordingly and are suggesting that if they find it essential to
conclude the agreement immediately they should exchange letters to
cover the Agreement and notify the Soviet Government in the above
sense. As regards Australia they would be asked to say that
pending further consideration the Australian Government wish their
position to be reserved.

3. Assume that this course would be in accordance with your wishes
but if not please telegraph most immediately.