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Mr Cortazzi
cc: Mr Bullock
Mr Duff
Mr Stewart
CONFIDENTIAL
RECEIVED IN
REGISTRY No. 51
24 MAY 1977
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THE PACE OF INDEPENDENCE
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As promised at the end of my minute of 18 (about the "Drin
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Solomon Islands talks) I am setting out more fully here my thoughts. on this subject, under general and specific headings. I have consulted Mr Bullock, Mr Duff and Mr Stewart.
General points
2. During the past 20 years it has become generally accepted, under the influence of United Nations proceedings, that all Colonies should proceed to independence as quickly as possible. Majority opinion in the United Nations has been sceptical of any evidence that a Colony may not wish to do so, and unwilling to endorse any other form of "self-determination". Considerations of size, economic weakness, pol- itical and social backwardness etc have been treated as irrelevant. A better understanding of the realities has been developing lately but it is still true that any appearance of hanging back by a (free world) metropolitan country will attract international, and most probably domestic criticism.
3. No doubt we should be prepared to face such criticism if we judged it in the best interests of any of our Colonies to retain our responsibilities over them. We are of course committed by many public statements, and by the United Nations Charter (Article 73), to treat as paramount the interests (not wishes, though the important distinction is now largely eroded) of the people of our Colonies. But I firmly believe that independence is in the best interests of any of our Colonies that can possibly sustain it. Experience shows that a capacity for independence is almost equivalent to a substantial majority wish for, or acceptance of, it.
4. There are several reasons for saying so. As a people we have lost the will to be a Colonial power. There is no pressure on, or desire by, any conceivable British Government to go on shouldering the white man's burden. Reductions and redeployment of our Defence. Forces prevent us from carrying out our obligations to defend our Colonies (except the minority under actual threat from a neighbour) or to come to their help in the event of internal disorders beyond their own control. The cadre of experienced Colonial administrators is diminishing by age and we have not trained a new generation. other walk of life a Governor or senior administrator will be more effective (and less dangerous) if he has had experience, and the opportunity to make mistakes, at a lower level. We have allowed our Colonies a degree of constitutional evolution which has largely deprived
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CONFIDENTIAL
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