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'Printed for the Cabinet. November 1955

SECRET

C.P. (55) 182

28th November, 1955

CABINET

Copy No. 62

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COMMONWEALTH MEMBERSHIP

MEMORANDUM BY THE SECRETARY OF STAte for CommONWEALTH RELATIONS

On 7th December, 1954, the Cabinet agreed that Commonwealth membership should be discussed in private conversations with the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand during their visit to London at the beginning of 1955, but that it should not be broached for the time being with the South African Prime Minister (C.C. (54) 83rd Conclusions, Minute 5). Lord Swinton accordingly discussed it privately with Mr. St. Laurent, Mr. Menzies and Mr. Holland, who all expressed agreement that the policy set out in C. (54) 307 represented the only practicable policy. Nothing whatever has yet been said on this subject to South African Ministers and the question now arises whether a start should not be made with them. While the course of events in the Gold Coast cannot at present be foreseen, it is possible, if not indeed probable, that the question of the admission of the Gold Coast to Commonwealth membership will be ripe for discussion, if not indeed for decision, at the Meeting of Prime Ministers which opens on 27th June, 1956. All our experience suggests that a relatively long time must be allowed for domestic consideration if the Union Government are to be brought to accept or acquiesce in a proposition so inherently distasteful to them.

2. The United Kingdom High Commissioner in South Africa, Sir Percivale Liesching, who is thoroughly conversant with this question, has been carefully watching the situation and has now recommended that, even if only preliminary discussion should take place at the Prime Ministers' Meeting in June, it will be wise for him to have paved the way gradually in a series of talks with Mr. Strijdom on this subject.

3. In making this recommendation Sir Percivale Liesching assumes, as I think we must, that there is bound to be at least preliminary discussion of this question and that any risk that this might possibly lead Mr. Strijdom to shrink from attending the meeting personally because this difficult issue was likely to be raised has been removed by Mr. Strijdom's recent formal notification of his intention to attend. The High Commissioner considers that the general atmosphere for his initial approach on this difficult topic is calm and favourable, and demonstrably better than it was a few months ago. In particular Mr. Strijdom has recently made public reference to the necessity for South Africa to honour the right of existence and interests of non-European States or Governments in Africa, and this reference, which is being interpreted in some quarters as representing a definite softening in the Union Government's approach to the Gold Coast question, at any rate partially opens the door to an approach.

4. If my colleagues agree with me that the time has come to face this issue it remains to be considered whether Sir Percivale Liesching should be authorised to make a start before mid-December, when South African Ministers leave Pretoria for the holidays, or whether it should be left over until his return from London, which I have authorised him to visit, for consultations in the second half of January, or the beginning of February. The High Commissioner is inclined to think that he should make a start before mid-December and he recommends that

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