ANTARCTICA-0


we would still object to the British informing Australia and New
Zealand of the US-British exchange of views and of our approach to
the Chileans on the Chilean suggestion for a modus vivendi. He said
the letter referred to the fixed British practice of exchanging full
information with the Commonwealth countries and expressed appre-
hension that, with the considerable lapse of time between the British-
US exchange and informing of Australia and New Zealand, an em-
barrassing situation might result.
  I said that I understood their problem in this connection and that it
was a problem which we share to some extent. I remarked that in view
of the changes in the Chilean cabinet it was not unlikely that there
would be some further delay. I said that I would see that his inquiry
was taken up for consideration and would be in touch with him within
a day or two.
  Mr. Meade and Mr. Tebbit came in this afternoon at my request. I
referred to Mr. Tebbit's inquiry of February 13 and said that our
thought on the subject was to send a message to our Embassies in
Australia and New Zealand asking them to mention, without details,
to the Foreign Offices that the Department has been giving serious
study to an Antarctic modus vivendi proposal made by Chile and has
discussed the proposal informally with the Chilean Embassy. I said
that we would have no objection to the UK informing the Australians
and New Zealanders of the subject, but we hoped that in doing so they
could limit themselves to a general statement and would not give out
copies of the documents. Mr. Meade and Mr. Tebbit believed that this
suggestion would be quite satisfactory to the Foreign Office. At their
request, I agreed to delay sending the proposed cables to our Embassies
in Australia and New Zealand until February 20 in order to give them
time to report to the Foreign Office.' Mr. Meade and Mr. Tebbit made
a rough draft of their cable report to the Foreign Office covering
these points.
  They requested that we let them know if we have occasion to tell the
Chileans that we have given this general statement to the Australians
and the New Zealanders. I said that we would be glad to do this.

  Brief telegrams as described here were sent to Canberra as 30 and to Welling-
ton as 24, February 20, neither printed (702.022/2-2050). Substantially the
same
information was given by Green in a conversation with Owen Davis, First Secre-
tary of the Australian Embassy on March 14 (memorandum of conversation by
Green, March 14, 702.022/3-1450).


909