NEW LEGATIONS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23339, 6 May 1939, Page 10

NEW LEGATIONS

AMERICA AND JAPAN AUSTRALIAN PROPOSAL PROBLEMS OF PACIFIC | DIPLOMATIC CONTACTS [FBbM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT] ■' , SYDNEY, May 2 The Australian Government will establish Aystralian legations in Washington and Tokio with as little delay as possible, This intention was made clear by the Prime Minister, Mr. R. G. Menzies, when be elaborated an announcement made in a broadcast speech that, the Government intended to establish direct diplomatic relations with Australia's Pacific neighbours. In that speech, Mr. Menzies said:— "In the Pacific we have primary responsibilities and primary risks. Close as our consultation with Britain is, and must be, in relation to European affairs, it is still true to say that we must, to a largfe extent, be guided by her knowledge and affected by her decisions. •"The problems of the Pacific are different. What Britain calls the Far East is to us the Near North. Little given as I am to encouraging the exaggerated ideas of Dominion independence <and separatism which exist in some minds, I have become convinced that, in the Pacific, Australia must regard herself as a principal providing herself with her own information and maintaining her own diplomatic contacts with foreign Powers. Bearing the Primary Risk ''l do not mean by this that we are to act; in the Pacific as if we were a completely separated Power; we must of course act as an integral part of the British Empire. We must have full consultation and co-operation with Britain, South Africa, New Zealand and Canada. But aU those consultations must be on a basis that the primary risk in the Pacific is borne by New Zealand and ourselves.

"With this in mind I look forward to the day when we will have a concert of Pacific. Powers, pacific in both senses of the word. This means increased diplomatic contact between ourselves and the United States, China and Japan, to say/nothing of the Netherlands East Indies,' and the other countries which fringe the Pacific. It is true that we are not a numerous people, but we have intelligence and resource, and I see no reason why we should not play not only an adult part, but an effective part in the affairs of the Pacific." Amplifying this later, Mr. Menzies said: "My idea is to develop direct diplomatic contacts with the major Pacific countries. This will be done by the appointment of diplomatic _ Ministers, and, I propose to start with the "United States and Japan. The establishment of legations will depend upon reciprocal action by the countries concerned, but I have no doubt that they would be ready to co-operate in such a policy and to set up legations at Canberra."

Difficulties to be Settled Mr. Menzies said that immediate attention to the plan would be given by the Government. It would be one of the very £arly objectives of the Government, which desired to establish direct diplomatic relations with other countries as soon as possible. The proposal was not one which could be settled offhand, and there were diffiin the way, but he felt that these would be easily overcome. So far, of course, he had given no thought to /any particular 'men for the appointments. The new policy is an important step forward in the gradual development over the last 20 years of Australian diplomatic representation abroad. Officials of the External Affairs Department have, after special training, been sent to London for experience, and some little time ago one of these was sent to Washington as a counsellor attached to the British Embassy. Comment in American diplomatic and official circles on Mr. Menzies' scheme is published in a cable message from Washington appearing in this issue.