EGRET v I.A.C. 510 TtmSR-DEPARTiOiafl'AL COIfrtmSE ON TilTERNATTOHAL AIR COMMOTIOATIOflS- Proposed Conference on Matters concerning the Pacific Islands be.ty;oen His Ilagesty1 s Government in the United Kingdom. Australia and New Zealand," The attached note by the Air Ministry on the above subject is circulated for the consideration of the Committee with reference to I.A.C. Paper 494, 2S '31 3? Air Ministry, W.V». BURKETT, 14th January. 1939, Secretary,, I.A.C. 510. "I NTKR-jJBPARTl-iKNTAL nQMMITTJSB ON TNTKKNATIQNAL AIR COailriflCAa'rOMfci Proposed C'.nferen'-e on matters concerning the Pacific Islands belgregjj H is" Majesty'e Governments in tho United Kingdom. Australia and Mew Zealando gotg by the Air Ministry. A "brief resume of recent negotiations with the United ' States Government and of action taken in connection with the ownership of certain islands in the South Pacific was given in a note by the Air Ministry dated the 26th November (I.A-C.Paper 494). In paragraph 4 < f that paper it was explained that His Majesty's Government had come to the conclusion that the best solution of the Pacific problem would be to have "open" aviation rights between the three Governnients concerned (the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand) and the United States Government m all the islands in the Pacific likely to be used as intermediate ports of call „' and that the United States Government should be invited to a Conference wJ th a view tc establishing a joint air service on the lines alrencly laid down with regard to the North Atlantic* This invitation was originally communicated to the United States Government < n the 30th March last. It has been renewed at intervals by His Majesty's Ambassador at Washington up to November 1938, but no positive response has so far been forthcoming from the United States Government, who profess to fear that the general question of oceanic aviation is infinitely more difficult and must inevitably proceed at a slower pace than the administrative question of the status of the islands* 3o Independently of these negotiations His Majesty's Government in New Zealand in May, 193b, suggested a Conference between themselves and Hie Majesty's Governments in the United Kingdom and Australia to discuss Pacific Island matters, mainly from the aspect of the strategic importance of the Pacific islands in so far as they would provide fuelling bas^s for New Zealand Naval forces, landing grounds for Air Forces and sites for the establishment of wireless stations. This suggestion judthe (Tj^fitior. as tovAi^tter His Majesty's Government could in any way supplement the efforts already made to secure the acceptance by the United States G:>/ernment of the invitation tc a four-party Conference, were considered at an Inter-Departmental meeting held at the Foreign Office on the v*4tn November. This meeting expressed *he view - (a) thai, for the tjrae being there was no call upon us to supplement our- efforts wi th the United States Government; (b) that a preliminary Conference between this United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand was desirable, and (c) that suggestions f. r the agenda should be cc-ovtiinatcd by the Oversea Defence Ccremittee on which ail the Departments concerned are represented- A copy is appended of a note of the questions which have been suggested to'the Government of New Zealand for the Conference, /4 * shnnh ^ ^ Coomlttef are askeu to consider what instructions C^rtLlleJV'*n to tne United Kingdom representatives at ths Conference in regard to civil aviation matters. Men Li,n^the .^st-ions set out in the note sent to the new Zealand Government the following comments may he made:- vUiestion 1 (n). nfl_, „ a ^.eJ°int ^U"K-" regime is at present, limited to canton and fender-bury islands, and the practical effect from the point of vaew of civil aviation is that these islands have ceased II unTow116 !s bargaining counters in any negotiations with tne united btai.es for . in view of the forcible possessive action hitherto taken by the United States Government with respect to Canton island., and of information to the effect that the United States Navy Department is to carry out early in 1939 a hydrogX'aphic survey of Pacific Islands including Hull, arrangements were made, by 3gree;aent with Hie Majesty's Government in New Zealand, fttr H.M*S. "Leander" to give priority in that vessel's programme of reconnaissance in the Pacific to a survey of those islands which, in the opinion of the Air Ministry, offered the best route for a future trans-Pacific service, namelyv Christmas, Hull, Nukonono ana:Suva* In addition preliminary constructional work, such as the demarcation 'if runways and areas for hangars, slipways and administrative buildings was carried out at these islands and notices were erected reserving areas for aviation purposes.) At an interdepartmental meeting convened by the Air Ministry on the 36th D( cember to discuss what further practical measures could be taker, to strengthen the British claim to Christmas Island it wan recommended that the administrative officer on Christmas Island should be provided with meteorological equipment (at a cost of about £100) and be given instruction in taking meteorological observations for transmission to Panning rsland from whence they could be passed on by cable to thft Central Pacific Meteorological Station* As soon as meteorological observations are regularly collected and transmitted the Island would be shown in international meteorological lists as a British observing and reporting station. As regards ths provision of operational equipment for an air service.- it. was recojnmended that, for the purpose of showing our active and possessive interest in the Island, a jetty and moorings should at once be provided. So far as Hull Island- is concerned a small advance pwty cf natives was due to lard there in December to sink veils and maice other preparati ms for tie colcnisatiai of the Island by surplus population from 1he Gilbert Islands, It is heped that it will be possible to begin actual colonisation in Hax-ch,- gu^stiin X (b_l> The original offer of the United States Government tc discuss the sovereignty of such islands as were c^med.^f?£th Governments was put forward on the understanding tnatJ;"^* dftr meantime, neither Government should take action which would render it more difficult to adjust conflicting claims. His Majesty's /Government 3 ~ Government expressed readiness to discuss the question of con- id1! cla5ms *o accept the "standstill'1 agreement provided T,nat the Phoenix Group (including Canton and Hull Islands) were excluded inasmuch as they had been incorporated in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony by Order in Council of March 1937/ The United States Government have not accepted that this Order in Council affects their claim to the Islands and the question of a Conference to discuss sovereignty has receded by reason of the actior taken by the United States Government at Canton and the apparent desire of that Government to confine further negotiations (at least for the present) to the nature of the Joint administration to be set up with respect to Canton and Enderbury Islands,, At the Foreign Office Conference on the 24th November it was felt that any renewal by the United States Government of their proposal for a general "clean up" of islands of disputed sovereignty should be resisted as it would probably lead to the United States Government laying claim to most of the Islands in the Pacific? and should be countered by insisting with renewed vigour on our own proposal .for a four-party Conference^ Question 1 (o)i In the event of the United States Government adopting the course referred to in this question it is for consideration as to whether our reply might take the form of intimating as courteous- ly as possible that Australia and New Zealand might not in the circumstances be able to see their- way to continuing their favour- able attitude to the activities of Pan American Airways in their Pacific operations* Question l (dV. As indicated above it is considered that our attitude in regard to Hull and Christmas Islands should be that we do not regard their status as being open to question. The Air Ministry regard British ownership of these two islands as a valuable bargain- ing counter in any four-party Conference on Pacific air problems and wouKd wish to see our claims represented as unassailable* As regards other islands- there viould be no objection from the Air Ministry point cf view to the su/sgestion that His Majesty's Government should intimate that they are only prepared to discuss the status of the six southern islands of the Line Group, namely, Flint, Maiden. Starbuck, Caroline, Filippo, and Vostok* These islands, from the point of view of civil aviation, are not considered to be of importance. It is understood, however, that the Gilbert islands Colony and the New Zealand Government may have an interest in the colonisation of certain islands in this group* Question 2, The main inducement, in the event contemplated, would apoear to be concerted action by the three Governments concerned directed to the withdrawal of the existing facilities for operations by Pan American Airways. Ability to exercise pressure in this direction lies mainly in the fact that the New Zealand Government possess the right to cancel their existing contract with ^n American Airways in the event of a British Company meeting with a refusal to an application for landing facilities m United otates territory^ Question 3, This action might appropriately be taken when our plans for consolidating the Brftlsh^itle to Hull and^is^mas Tslanas