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makes it of compelling urgency that the three territories should combine in defence of their way of life. The danger lies in the extension of Union influence over the Rhodesias. The expansionist aims of certain Union politicians are well known. Allied with the alarming increase of Afrikaner immigration in recent years into Southern and Northern Rhodesia they are felt to constitute a serious and imminent threat to the independent existence of the two territories. The motives behind this movement northwards may not be wholly insidious; economic ambition and the love of adventure play a large part. The fact remains that the flow of migrants from the Union into the Rhodesias is now well in excess of that from the United King- dom. The ties of blood, and the Nationalist loyalties of many of them, will make the migrants responsive to political intrigue and pressure from the Union. Many of them show little inclination to become assimilated to the British way of life and outlook that characterise the remainder of the European population. If early steps are not taken to slow down the movement the Afrikaner element (particularly in Northern Rhodesia with its smaller total European population) will before long undermine the British way of life in these territories, destroy the progress that has been made in both the Rhodesias in the economic, cultural and political advance- ment of the African, gravely prejudice race relations, and sooner or later lead to the absorption of the territories in the Union. In that event the future of Nyasaland would also be seriously jeopardised.

6. Linked with this danger of infiltration is another danger. The facts of geography and communications render the Rhodesias uncomfortably susceptible to economic pressure from the Union. Any onset of economic depression might at once make this pressure difficult for the individual territories to withstand; but the larger and stronger unit resulting from closer association would be in a better position to offer effective resistance.

7. The Conference was impressed with the gravity of the situation and felt it essential that there should be a strong British Central African Government, which would be better able to stand up to outside pressure than the territories individually, and which would remove the existing fears that internal pressure in any one of the territories might enable the Union Government to extend its political influence over the area by a piecemeal technique. Acting in virtue of its own powers it could enforce a common immigration policy for all three territories and could control immigration without the embarrassment which the United Kingdom Government would experience in the field of Commonwealth relations. The Report makes clear that federal control of immigration policy would not include control over land settle- ment and alienation. The problem of Afrikaner immigration and the suggested means of dealing with it on a Central African basis are discussed at greater length in the Appendix to this Minute.

8. In the view of the Conference the increase of the danger of penetration from the Union if there is no closer association is imperfectly realised by Africans in Central Africa and by public opinion in the United Kingdom. If the threat to both African and British interests were clearly recognised opposition in those quarters to the closer association of the Central African territories would soon be transformed. The matter, moreover, is urgent. Delay at this juncture in establish- ing an effective scheme of closer association would probably be fatal to hopes of creating a British bloc in Central Africa, and the opportunity of commending such a scheme to Southern Rhodesian opinion should be taken now, under the leadership of Sir Godfrey Huggins.

Form of Association

9. Convinced, therefore, for this and other reasons mentioned in the Report of the urgent need for some form of closer association, the Conference examined with great care several proposals in order to discover the scheme which would be most effective and command the greatest measure of agreement. The proposals considered were: the amalgamation of the three territories; amalgamation of part of Northern Rhodesia with Southern Rhodesia; a form of league; and a federal arrangement.

Amalgamation

10. The case for amalgamation as the most desirable and, apart from political considerations, the most practicable form of closer association, was stated with great force and clarity by the Southern Rhodesian members, who stressed the need for a bold agemaginative approach. It was, in their view, essehage that strong

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