CONFIDENTIAL
33.
But
Elsewhere, apart fron Gibraltar, British Honduras and the Falkland Islands, whose neighbours covet then, and Hong Kong, there is no serious prospect in the world as it is today that any friendly or neutral power would be willing to take over any of our territories.
If there were an outside threat that we were unable to resist effectively it seems likely that, for instance, the U.S.A. and Australia might be anxious to take over our Pacific territories. we cannot plan on this basis or make it an aim of policy to hand territories over in such circumstances. Obviously however we should continue to encourage friendly powers to interest themselves in our territories and we should avoid any action (such as integration) that would make it more difficult for them to take over if circumstances changed.
The United Nations
34.
While the process of bringing the larger territories to independence continued there was some common ground between us and our anti-colonialist critics at the U.N. At worst each separate dispute came to an end as the territory concerned came to independence. But now that only four or five of our reneining twenty-eight territories are ever likely to be capable of independence this easy way out has been closed off.
35. Since December, 1950, when Kruschev secured the passage of the "Declaration on the granting of independence to colonial countries and peoples" (Resolution 1514 (XV)) with its demand for immediate steps to independence for all, the dogmatic anti-colonialists have been in the ascendant at the U.N. They have dominated the Special Committee set up to secure the implementation of the Declaration, and kept the Administering Powers on the defensive. It is true that their control over the Committee and the General Assembly has not been complete. Only six days after the passage of the Declaration the General Assembly passed a Resolution (No. 1541 (XV)) setting out "Principles which should guide Members in determining whether or not
an obligation exists to transmit the information called for under Article 730 of the Charter" i.a. about non-self-governing territories. This Resolution recognized (Principle VI) three methods by which a non-self-governing territory could reach a full neasure of self- Government: independence, free association or integration. text is reproduced in Annex C. The more sensible members of the Committee including sone Afro-Asians and South Americans
The
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have
/given
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