The Lucknow Conference
| Date | 01 March 1951 |
| Author | Edgar McInnis |
| Published date | 01 March 1951 |
| DOI | 10.1177/002070205100600101 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
THE
LUCKNOW
CONFERENCE
Edgar
Mclnnis
T
WAS
BOTH
timely
and
appropriate
that
the
Eleventh
Conference
of
the
Institute
of
Pacific
Relations
should
have
its
setting in Asia.
With
the
eyes
of
the
world
fixed
anxiously
on
that
disturbed
con-
tinent,
where
the progress
of
events
may
quite
literally determine
the
future
of
civilization,
it
was
of
the utmost
value to
have
the
discussions
taking
place
in
circumstances
that
brought
the
delegates directly
into
contact
with
Asian
conditions.
India
is
not
strictly
a
part
of
the
Pacific
geographical area
and
is
not
immediately involved
in
its
con-
flicts;
yet
she
has
an
urgent
concern
with
the
developments
in
East
Asia
in
their
bearing
on
both
her
internal
problems
and
her
external
interests.
In
her
economic
difficulties
and
aspirations,
in
her
emotional
nationalism
with its
sympathy
for
the
movements
in
other
Asian
countries,
she
has
broad
common
ground
with
the rest
of
the
continent
and
exhibits
many
of
the
essential
features
of
the
ferment
that
is
stirring
the
whole
of
the
Far
East.
The Indian
contribution
took
on
added
importance from
the
fact
that
the
countries
of
the western
Pacific
were
represented
to
a
very
limited
extent.
For
the
first
time
in over
a
decade
there
was
a
Japanese
delegation
whose
members
made
a
very good
impression
and proved
most
useful
in
their
contribution
to
the
discussions.
But
Australia,
which
was
expected
to
be
strongly
represented,
surprised
and
disap-
pointed
the
Conference
by
a
last-minute
failure
to
produce
any
delega-
tion
at
all.
This
was
regrettable,
for
Australia
occupies a
unique
position with
a
distinctive
point
of
view
toward
Far
Eastern
questions,
and
more
than
once
a
point
was reached
in
the
discussions where
some
explanation
of
Australian
interests
and
policies
was
needed
to
round
out
the
picture. Still
more
regrettable,
but
probably
more
unavoidable,
was
the
absence
of
the
Chinese.
It
had
been
quite
evident
that
the
progress
of
events
in
China
would
have
a
disruptive
effect
on
the
Chinese
I.P.R.,
and
serious
and
sustained
efforts
had
been
made
to
mitigate
this
and
to
arrange
for
the
presence
of
some Chinese
repre-
sentatives
on
whatever
basis
might
seem
practicable.
No
success
was
attained.
The
existing
Chinese
council,
much
of
whose
membership
was
outside
the
mainland,
gave
formal notice
of
withdrawal
on
the
eve
of
the
Conference.
There
were
some
last-minute,
indications
from
Peking
of
an unexpected
intetest
on
the
part
of
certain
groups
within
the
Communist area, but
they
were
too
late,
as
well
as
too uncertain,
to
have
any
result.
It
was
probably
inevitable,
given
the setting
of
the
Conference
and
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