N.Z. COMMISSIONER IN SOUTH-EAST ASIA

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27676, 4 June 1955, Page 8

N.Z. COMMISSIONER IN SOUTH-EAST ASIA

Appointment Of Mr Foss Shanahan

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, June 3. Mr Foss Shanahan, DeputySecretary of External Affairs, has been appointed New Zealand Commissioner in South-east Asia. Mr Shanahan would have the specific status of Commissioner for New Zealand in Singapore, the Federation of Malaya, and British Territories, said the Minister of External Affairs (Mr T. Is Macdonald) today. He would, in addition, be the New Zealand member of the Bangkok Council of Representatives, which was set up by the parties to the Manila Treaty to ensure continuing coordination of S.E.A.T.O. activities between meetings of the council. While holding these posts, Mr Shanahan would have the personal rank of Ambassador, said the Minister. “The new appointment will fill a long-felt gap in New Zealand’s representation overseas,” said Mr Macdonald. “Our increasing interest and involvement in events in South-east Asia have made it imperative for New Zealand to be adequately represented in the area in a manner which would enable our views to be made known promptly and fully to the governments of the area. “It is also important for us to secure first-hand reports on developments in this area, because they affect the basic factors underlying our general approach to Asian problems, and particularly our defence policy ” Mr Macdonald said that, because of the nature of the duties and the problems involved, the Government had decided to entrust the opening of this important mission to the senior officer of the External Affairs Service, who had been most closely concerned with Far Eastern matters for the last few years.

As Deputy-Secretary of External Affairs, Mr Shanahan was associated with the late Sir Frederick Doidge in the negotiations with Mr John Foster Dulles on the Anzus Treaty at Canberra in 1951, and he attended both the Manila and Bangkok conferences as the senior adviser to the Minister of External Affairs.

In his capacity as secretary of the Chiefs of Staff Committee for some years from 1940, and in the post-war period as Secretary to the Cabinet, Mr Shanahan had become thoroughly familiar with the Government’s Far Eastern policy in all its aspects—political, military, and economic, said Mr Macdonald. The Government felt the fullest confidence in Mr Shanahan’s ability to state and give effect to its policy, and to advise and report to the Government on matters affecting New Zealand’s interests, said the Minister. Location of Mission After discussions and investigations which both he and the Prime Minister (Mr Holland) had been able to undertake on the spot, the Government had decided that Singapore provided the most suitable central location for a post in the area, Mr Macdonald said. In making this decision, the Government had been influenced by the outstanding success of similar missions established in Singapore by both the British and Australian Governments, although, of course, those two countries possessed the g r eat additional advantage of direct diplomatic representation in most of the countries of the area. Mr Macdonald said that though the Commissioner was being formally ac-

credited at this stage only to the Singapore and Malayan Governments, it was expected that arrangements would be made for him to be suitably accredited to the authorities of other countries in the area. This extension of the commissioner’s diplomatic links would make it easier for him to keep in touch with developments throughout the South-east Asian area. How-

ever, this question would need to be discussed with the Governments of the countries concerned. It was hoped that, when the Commissioner took up his duties in Singapore, these discussions would have been settled satisfactorily, said Mr Macdonald. After service in the Customs Department, Mr Shanahan was appointed to the Prime Minister’s Department in 1938, as assistant-secretary in the Organisation for National Security, which was responsible for preparing the plans required in the transition from peace to tear. In 1940, he became secretary of this body, and successively secretary of the War Council and assistant-secretary of the War Cabinet. * In 1940, Mr Shanahan was also appointed secretary of the Chiefs of Staff Committee. In 1945 he became Secretary to the Cabinet. In this position, he has had some responsibility for the co-ordination of defence policy. Also in 1945, he was appointed AssistantSecretary of External Affairs. He became Deputy-Secretary of the department in 1948.

Experience at Conferences Mr Shanahan has represented New Zealand at a number of Commonwealth and international conferences. In 1944, he was a member of the New •Zealand delegation at the Chicago conference which established the International Civil Aviation Organisation, and was leader of the New Zealand delegation at the annual assembly of that body in Geneva in 1948. He also attended meetings of the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1949 and 1954, and assisted abthe conferences of Commonwealth Prime Ministers in London in 1946 and 1953.

Mr Shanahan was educated at the Christian Brothers’ School, Dunedin, the Waitaki Boys’ High School, Otago University, and Victoria University College. He graduated master of laws in 1934.