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Volume #13 - 375.
CHAPTER VIII UNITED NATIONS
PART 3 SECOND SESSION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
SECTION D SOUTH AFRICA
375.	DEA/5600-40
Ambassador in United States to Under-Secretary of State for External Affairs
CONFIDENTIAL	Washington, April 12, 1947

Dear Mr. Pearson, Mr. Hickerson expressed to me yesterday the concern felt in the State Department over the treatment which is likely to be accorded to South Africa at the next session of the General Assembly unless they take some steps to give effect to the resolution of the last Assembly on the Indian complaint⁴¹ He said that so far as they knew there had been no contact whatever between the Indian and South African Governments on this subject since the adoption of the resolution, and at the same time South Africa was proceeding with the incorporation of South West Africa in the Union. The United States Government was not in a position to do much because any pressure exerted by them was almost sure to produce accusations of racial discrimination based on the treatment of negroes in the South. They wondered, therefore, if it would be possible for Canada to talk to the South Africans and to seek to persuade them that it was in their interests at least to go through the motion of opening negotiations with India. He believed that there was no chance that such negotiations would achieve any results, but South Africa would be in a better position at the Assembly after futile negotiations than they would be if they merely ignored the resolution. I think that there is something in this and I promised to pass the suggestion on to you. Perhaps, if it is felt that we can do some good, the best course would be to have a talk with the South African High Commissioner in Ottawa. Yours sincerely, H.H. WRONG ⁴¹Voir le volume 12, document 488./See Volume 12, Document 488.
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