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W(B)L 51-7406
CONFIDENTIAL
26,
ASPAC was valuable, in the Japanese view,
It was a loose
as a forum for conducting political consultation
and planning joint projects.
organisation, the members of which had to have
regard for the different positions of other
members, but it could come to play a useful
part. Press reports that ASPAC was to be
developed into an organisation for collective
security were not based upon the procelings
at ASPAC meetings. The members were all agreed
that ASPAC should not develop in that direction.
Japan was generally satisfied with ASPAC and
he had received the impression in meetings of
the Standing Committee in Tokyo that it would
continue to develop in a sound manner.
27. As regards India, Japan had received no
proposal from India concerning the establishment
of a new regional organisation. Japan was
interested primarily in the economic develop-
ment of the countries of South-East Asia but
had, nevertheless, recently sent a private
mission to India to look into the economic
aspects of Japanese-Indian relations. Regular
consultations took place at official level, the
last in February 1969. The forthcoming visit
Indian by the Prime Minister in June would provide a
A
opportunity to discuss these matters further.
28. Mr. Stewart agreed that the main threat
came from subversion. The confrontation between
Indonesia and Malesia had been a mixture of
attack and subversion.
Maldia had, with our
help, had the forces to hold the attack off.
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