(17865) Dd.145178 400m 5/73 G.W.B.Ltd. Gp.863
NOTHING TO BE WRITTEN IN THIS MARGIN
6. The UK and the USA withdrew from the Committee of
24 in 1971, these withdrawals having been preceded by
the departure of Australia (1969) and Italy (1970).
(Australia re-joined in 1973 following their change of
Government.) Our public explanation was that our own
process of decolonisation had now reached a stage where
experience of the Committee's work had led us to
question whether it could offer any constructive help
in resolving the remaining problems; and that our doubts
on this point had been reinforced by the adoption in
October 1970 of a thoroughly unrealistic Frogramme of
Action intended as a guide to the Committee's future
activities. This was a reference to General Assembly
Resolution 2621 (XXV) which inter alia declared that
colonialism in all its forms was "a crime which consti-
tutes a violation of the Charter". Since our withdrawal,
the UK has continued to fulfil the obligation under the
Charter of providing information on our Dependent
Territories. We have also kept in touch with Committee
members and Secretariat.
VISITING MISSIONS
7. A recurring feature of the Committee of 24's
resolutions on Dependent Territories has been a request
to Administering Powers to accept Visiting Missions
from the Committee, so that information on conditions in
the territories can be collected at first hand. Refusal
to accept Missions has resulted in accusations that
Administering Powers were being unco-operative. The
UK stance on this under both of the last two Administra-
tions has been to accept the idea of Visiting Missions
views of the local
in principle, but subject to the
government
and to FMG's views
on whether the
/Mission
-3-