DEPARTMENT OF STATE Memorandum of Conversation
Date: February 17, 1949
Subject: Personal Message from Dr. Evatt, Australian Minister of External Affairs, to the Secretary Concerning our Representation in Australia
Participants: The Secretary Mr. Norman J. Makin, Australian Ambassador BC - Mr. Shullaw
Copies to: S/S EUR R - Mr. Armstrong
Ambassador Makin called on me by appointment today and handed me a personal letter from Dr. Evatt, the Australian Minister for External Affairs.
The Ambassador said that in view of Ambassador Cowen's nomination to be Ambassador to the Philippines that section of Dr. Evatt's letter relating to Mr. Cowen was no longer entirely applicable. The Ambassador said, however, that he knew Dr. Evatt would wish him to stress the point that there should not be a long period between Ambassador Cowen's departure and the arrival of his replacement. He said that a prolonged delay might be misunderstood and might occasion undesirable speculation and comment. The Ambassador added that Mr. Cowen had created a very favorable impression in the time that he has been there and that his departure will be regretted.
The Ambassador stated that Dr. Evatt was desirous of talking with me prior to the meeting of the General Assembly in April and of discussing problems which were certain to arise in the General Assembly. The Ambassador also remarked that Dr. Evatt would wish to discuss the problem of the exchange of secret information between our two countries, particularly, information relating to the guided missile project. The Ambassador said that it was his understanding that such information at the present time passed through a third country. This, he said, was unfortunate, and it was the hope of his Government that the mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries which had obtained during the recent war might be continued.
I told the Ambassador that I would, of course, be pleased to talk with Dr. Evatt upon his arrival in the United States.
The Ambassador stated as he was leaving that the President's inaugural address had been made available to every Member of both Houses of the Australian Parliament. I said that I knew the President would be pleased to hear this, and that I would give him this information when I saw him today.
EUR:BC:JHShullaw:jz