The Minister has redrafted the note to be presented to the heads
of Delegations. [1]

The Minister instructs that the document should be presented by
hand wherever possible by one of the Australian advisers. The
closest secrecy should be observed, United Kingdom to be included
in presentation. The following is the text:-

'The Minister for External Affairs for Australia, The Right
Honourable H. V. Evatt, presents his compliments to the Minister
for Foreign Affairs of ... (or to the head of the delegation for
...) in connection with the present meeting of the Assembly of the
United Nations. The Minister for External Affairs who represented
the Australian Government at the San Francisco Conference, regrets
that owing to very urgent public business in Australia he is not
able to attend the present meeting of the Assembly. He will be in
constant touch with Australia's representatives and will take the
keenest interest in the whole of the Assembly proceedings.

Dr. Evatt wishes to draw attention to that part of Article 23 of
the Charter regarding the relevant considerations for election of
nonpermanent members of the Security Council, namely: "The General
Assembly shall elect six other Members of the United Nations to be
non-permanent members of the Security Council, due regard being
specially paid, in the first instance to the contribution of
Members of the United Nations to the maintenance of international
peace and security and to the other purposes of the Organisation,
and also to equitable geographical distribution."

He would call the special attention of the Minister for Foreign
Affairs to the claims of Australia for election to the Security
Council in accordance with the considerations set out in the
Charter. In the first place, as you are aware, Australia has made
a very great contribution to victory in both World Wars, and in
this War particularly in the air over Europe, in the Mediterranean
and Middle Eastern conflicts, and in the fighting in the Pacific
which proved to be the turning point against Japan. In the second
place, Australia occupies a special geographical position by
reason of its situation in the South-West Pacific Area.

The Australian Government would accordingly welcome your support
and assistance in affording to Australia the opportunity as a
nonpermanent member of the Security Council to carry out the
special obligations involved. It is submitted that if Article 23
of the Charter is applied, both in letter and in spirit, no nation
has a greater claim to election to the first Security Council than
Australia.

Similarly by reason of its contribution over many years in
pioneering social and economic legislation, the policies which it
has successfully advocated at recent international conferences,
and its position in world trade, Australia is willing and able to
bear the special responsibility to the Assembly in such matters as
will fall to members of the Economic and Social Council.

The Australian Minister for External Affairs would assure the
Foreign Minister that the Australian Government looks forward to
co-operating with the Government of ...... in continuing at the
first Assembly Meeting of the United Nations the work begun at San
Francisco and, in particular, in raising the status of the
Assembly whose wide powers and general character were assured at
San Francisco by the Australian Delegation in conjunction with the
majority of the Nations represented there.'