SOUTH SEAS COMMISSION

United States Secretary of State has replied to our aide memoire
of July 3rd prepared with assistance of your Minister in
Washington and forwarded by Australian Legation on July 3rd. State
Department communication states that United States will be pleased
to accept invitation to participate in Conference with stipulation
that (a) Dutch New Guinea be included in terms of reference and
Netherlands Government invited and (b) Conference postponed until
after next General Assembly meeting.

2. Note concludes that United States Government understands
Commission:-

(a) is to be advisory.

(b) concerned with 'promotion of native welfare and economic
development'.

(c) not 'empowered to deal in any way with political matters or
question of Defence or Security'.

(d) to be limited in its territorial scope 'to islands south of
the equator which lie north and north-east of Australia'.

3. We are prepared to instruct our Washington Embassy to advise
the State Department informally and in association with your
Legation that we accept their conditions. [1] If you are in
agreement with this Dr. Evatt would be glad, in association with
your representative [at] the Peace Conference, to issue formal
invitations in all cases to the appropriate foreign Ministers now
in Paris.

4. It is proposed that invitations would-
(a) leave it to the governments to decide status of
representation;

(b) suggest a date in mid-November for the convening of the
Conference, possibly November 13;

(c) in view of further delay involved in postponement from the
date previously agreed between us, to make clear that conference
would not be merely explanatory [2] but for purpose of
establishing Commission.

5. We feel that we should be represented by a Minister at such a
constitutive Conference, and would hope that alteration in date
may also make possible the attendance of a New Zealand Minister.

We shall of course look for a continuance of the close
consultation and exchange of views between our two Governments and
the United Kingdom Government on all aspects of the proposed
Commission's work.

6. We should be glad to have your views at earliest possible
moment on development outlined above and on proposals in
paragraphs 3, 4 and
5. If you are agreeable to a Conference in November, we shall
confirm the precise date after further investigations here as to
practicability of November 13.