CAB129-33 — Page 150

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Printed for the Cabinet. March 1949

SECRET

C.P. (49) 55

8th March, 1949

CABINET

Copy No.

31

TRIPOLITANIA

MEMORANDUM BY THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WAR

The Problem

As our colleagues will recall, the proposals set forth in C.P. (46) 354 for the introduction of certain administrative measures in Cyrenaica with a view to convincing the inhabitants of our interest in their well-being and progress towards self-government were approved by the Cabinet on 26th September, 1946 (C.M. (46) 83rd Conclusion, Minute 4), and a working party, under the ægis of the War Office and led by Sir Bernard Reilly, visited the territory in December 1946 and January 1947, in accordance with the Cabinet's decision. In the same paper the hope was expressed that a similar working party would also be able to visit Tripolitania. A working party did in fact visit Tripolitania, but with more limited terms of reference than those of the working party for Cyrenaica: its recommendations were correspondingly limited. It had, moreover, been decided by the Cabinet that as regards Tripolitania no change in our administrative policy should be made. Consequently, the policy of "care and maintenance" which was considerably modified in Cyrenaica, has been maintained in Tripolitania. The result has been that the inhabitants of the latter territory, in contrast to those of Cyrenaica, have gained the impression that His Majesty's Government have little interest in their well-being or future.

2. In August 1948 Sir Noel Charles made a statement before the Deputies in the Council of Foreign Ministers to the effect that if no decision were taken as regards the final disposal of Tripolitania, and His Majesty's Government were asked to continue to administer the territory as a caretaker, they would desire to be freed from the limitations imposed by the Hague Conventions and to replace the military by a civil administration, and with this change to introduce a series of reforms.

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3. The failure of the Council of Foreign Ministers and of the General Assembly of the United Nations in September and December last year to settle the disposal of the Italian Colonies has further increased the anxiety of the Tripolitanians about their future.

4. Our policy towards the territory is at present under review. If it were to be decided to agree to the territory returning to Italian administration, and if the Assembly agreed, our responsibility would then end in the course of next it is, on the other hand, also possible that our policy will remain one of postponement and that the General Assembly in April will vote in this sense. In the latter case the exigencies of the local political situation would be such as to require us to initiate immediately the programme of development outlined by Sir Noel Charles. Such a programme requires careful preparation and could not in practice take effect before approximately six months after it had been agreed here. In the case of Cyrenaica the recommendations of the working party referred to in paragraph 1 of this memorandum were a necessary preliminary to the rapid implementation of a similar programme. We are therefore of the opinion that if, as we believel isofor8 Becessary to plan for the contingenEaghat go way 88ve

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to continue to administer Tripolitania for a further period, a working party should be sent to the territory and that its terms of reference should be as wide as those of the Cyrenaican working party of 1947. This new working party should review the situation in the light of developments within the last two years and should consider to what extent the recommendations of 1947 should be extended and brought up to date.

5. In connection with the future of Tripolitania, our colleagues will recall that on 20th January this year (C.M. (49) 5th Conclusion, Minute 4) the Cabinet approved a proposal contained in C.P. (49) 12 that the administrative responsi- bility for the territory, together with that for Cyrenaica, should be transferred from the War Office to the Foreign Office as soon as the necessary arrangements could be made. These arrangements are now in hand and the date upon which responsibility should be transferred is under consideration.

RECOMMENDATION

We therefore recommend that the Cabinet should approve the setting up of a working party for Tripolitania under the leadership of an experienced admin- istrator such as was Sir B. Reilly and its despatch to the territory in the imme- diate future. We also recommend that our colleagues approve the draft terms of reference for this working party which are annexed to this memorandum.

E. B.

8th March, 1949

E SA

ANNEX

TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR WORKING PARTY ON TRIPOLITANIA

The Working Party shall, in consultation with the Chief Administrator and other officers of the administration, review the situation in Tripolitania in the light of the developments during the last two years and make recommendations for social, administrative, economic and constitutional measures designed to benefit the inhabitants of Tripolitania. In making these recommendations the Working Party will bear in mind the available labour, material, &c., and will assess the financial implications and how far any increased expenditure can be offset by additional locally raised revenue.