CAB148-30-Defence and Oversea Policy Committee Meetings Relating to 1967 Disturbances-1967 — Page 295

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It was argued that in these circumstances, and since we could not contemplate extreme policies saimed at bringing down the illegal regime

or accept a settlement plainly contrary to our principles, we should

continue to examine the policy which we might follow if we were forced to

accept that existing economic sanctions were unlikely to succeed in their

objective. It was suggested that a Royal Commission, with suitable terms of reference and menbership, might be appointed to report on the

acceptability to Rhodesian opinion as a whole of a 'Tiger' Constitution,

either as a basis for early independence or for continued Constitutional

dependence until majority rule. Such a Royal Commission could be

represented as a natural extension of the exchanges that had been taking

place in recent months with the illegal regime. If, as was likely,

the proposal was rejected by Mr. Smith or a Royal Commission was denied

the opportunity to carry out its work properly because censorship was

maintained and detainees were not released, the falsity of the illegal

regine's position would be made plain. On the other hand it was argued

that any attempt to appoint a Royal Commission for such a purpose at the

present time would be construed as a clear indication that we were weakening

in our resolve to insist on no independence for Rhodesia before majority

rule; this would provoke violent reactions among Commonwealth countries

and in the United Nations and at best we could only expect to buy a little

tine without reaching any solution to the Rhodesian problem.

Summing up the discussion, THE PRIME MINISTER said that the Committee

were in agreement with the proposals of the Foreign and Commonwealth

Secretaries on the way in which the Rhodesian problem should be handled

by the Commonwealth Secretary during his forthcoming visit to Commonwealth

countries in Africa and to Rhodesia. There was at present no real

alternative to pursuing our policy of maintaining and attempting to

strengthen existing economic sanctions; a report to this effect would be

made to the Cabinet. The Committee would however wish to give further

consideration to the Rhodesian problem in the light of the outcome of the

Commonwealth Secretary's forthcoming tour; an examination should then be

put in hand of the advantages and disadvantages of appointing a Royal

Commission to investigate the acceptability to Rhodesian opinion as a

whole of a Constitutional settlement based on 'Tiger'; in the meantime

we should continue to consider whether there were any other policies which

we might seek to follow should we be forced to accept that economic

sanctions on a scale that we could contemplate would not bring down the

illegal regine.

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