Memorandum of Conversation with Secretary of State Dean Acheson, Ambassador of Australia Sir Percy Spender, Harold E. Holt, and G. Hayden Raynor

1114 SECURITY INFORMATION DEPARTMENT OF STATE 1008 195 Memorandum of Conversation DATE: September 25, 1952 SUBJECT: Migration PARTICIPANTS: Mr. Harold E. Holt, Australian Minister of Labor and Immigration Ambassador Spender, Australian Embassy The Secretary Mr. H. Raynor, Director, BNA COPIES TO: s/s EUR UNA/R BNA E Embassy Canberra u. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 16-61120-1 After a cordial exchange of amenities Mr. Holt described what Australia had been doing in receiving immigrants from Europe and what he thought the problems were looking ahead. He stated that he was in Washington not to work out at this time any specific proposals or plans but to attempt to interest American officials in the problem so that he hoped he could go back to Australia knowing that there was an understanding here of it and a desire to see something done about it. Following are the major points he made as to the problem: 1) This should be viewed as much as a means of helping Europe as of helping receiving countries such as Australia. 2) There is need for an international organization which would serve as a clearing house of information and a central coordinating point for the broad problem. 3) Some method of international financing to cover more than transportation costs is necessary. (In his view such a program would be self-liquidating over a period of time.) 4) From DECLASSIFIED E. O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and 5(D) or (E) Dept. of State letter, 10-26-74 AL SECURITY INFORMATION Bx NLT HC NARS Data 11-29-76