Office of the Historian

790.5/11–1854: Telegram

The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Aldrich) to the Department of State1

secret
London, November 18, 1954—5 p.m.

2404. Today’s London press reports talks between MacDonald and Australian officials centered on commitment of Australian troops to SEA. “Authoritative sources” quoted as saying Australia had agreed earlier this year send battalion and fighter wing to Malaya to be available either within Manila pact framework or as part of Commonwealth defense planning.

Embassy comment: It now generally understood by military planners in UK, Australia and NZ that US uninterested in peacetime either in stationing troops in SEA or in joint military planning for SEA. Accordingly, it has been decided to go ahead with implementation of Melbourne proposals developed by Harding last year (Embassy despatch 2499 December 8, 1953).2 As result of close military consultation UK has fairly good idea of what Australia and NZ would be prepared to do in case of war; nevertheless UK would like to “tidy up” the planning for the area. Hence MacDonald’s visit. Once this exercise completed, it is planned to present results to [Page 972] Washington with request for comment and such coordination as US prepared extend.3

Aldrich
  1. Repeated for information to Canberra and Wellington.↩
  2. Apparent reference to telegram 2499 of that date, p. 357.↩

  3. In despatch 242 from Canberra, Nov. 26, the Embassy cabled that MacDonald had discussed mainly political and economic questions with Australian officials, leaving the discussion of specific military and defense matters to General Loewen and Admiral Lambe, who were in Australia on a simultaneous, but apparently independent, visit.

    “While it is understood that General Loewen has engaged in direct military talks with Australian Defense Department officials at Melbourne during the present week, it is believed that major policy decisions with respect to active Australian participation in the defense of Malaya and the stationing of forces there will be deferred until the British Commonwealth Prime Ministers’ Conference in London now understood to be scheduled for January.” (790.5/11–2654)

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