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Anti-Australian feeling amongst Chinese in Singapore over White Australia policy
[Letterhead in blue ink: ‘DEPARTMENT OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS.’, ‘CABLEGRAM.’, ‘SECRET.’]
IMMEDIATE.
CYPHER [underlined.]
10th April, 1948.
To:
Department of External Affairs,
CANBERRA.
PERSONAL FOR DR. EVATT.
No.265
Renewed anti-Australian agitation threatens here over alleged order to leave Australia served on Mrs. Carvill a Chinese locally-born wife of an Englishman, living in Perth. This is prominently reported in local press. I should be grateful for facts of case to be telegraphed at once in order to meet this agitation.
2. I must warn you that now Straits Chinese are involved reactions here will be much more violetn [sic] than in case of Malays, who lack wealth, power and political consciousness of Chinese. If Chinese leaders here take up this and similar cases trade boycott and attempt to have issue raised at next United Nations Assembly cannot be ruled out.
3. I have been informed privately by leading Chinese here that present case has produced intense bitterness, and that I will be well advised to obtain strong brief before public protest, which is now pending, is launched. It will help if I can show that Mrs. Carvill was admitted only on understanding that she must return to Singapore when opportunity offered.
4. I again urge the tremendous harm done to Australia by adverse publicity given here to such measures as this. I realise requirements of traditional policy but recent developments have quite outweighed all we have achieved through general foreign policy, and such gestures as South-east Asian scholarships.
