Story of International Relations

4 INTELLECTUAL COOPERATION IN WAR-TIME AND PLANS ... 395

prior consideration.^178 By contrast, although there was ‘little denial’
that the aim of post-war policy in regard to so-called dependent peoples
should be preparation for self-government, there was no unanimity on
the question ‘on the timing and method to be applied’ in respect to such
preparation.^179
The report of the conference’s proceedings recorded that European
members who had not participated in previous IPR conferences were
‘rather shocked by the outspokenness with which the colonial sys-
tem as such was attacked’ at Hot Springs and that these attacks had
been inspired by the ‘continued deadlock in India and the belief of
many that acceptable colonial policies had not yet been clearly formu-
lated’.^180 The same report noted the resentment felt by the representa-
tives of those countries with colonial interests in the Pacific in the face
of criticisms which they viewed as ‘over-simplified generalisations based
on insufficient knowledge of the facts.’^181 A former senior official of the
Netherlands-Indies government, gave expression to this feeling and iden-
tified the causes of it in stating the following:

The international interest shown in the advance to self-government of

dependent peoples was helpful; but it was equally desirable that world

opinion should recognise the special responsibility which rested on the

metropolitan powers to bring their colonial peoples into the new world

alignment. It was they who brought civilization to these countries, were

now bound to them by growing ties of partnership, knew how to develop

them along the shortest lines to political and economic self-government.^182

The European delegates showed particular annoyance when criticisms
of colonialism were issued by American members whom they accused of
appealing rather too frequently to American public opinion on the subject

(^178) International Secretariat, Institute of Pacific Relations, foreword to International
Secretariat, Institute of Pacific Relations, Security in the Pacific, xi.
(^179) Ibid.
(^180) International Secretariat, Institute of Pacific Relations, Security in the Pacific, 93,
and International Secretariat, Institute of Pacific Relations, foreword to International
Secretariat, Institute of Pacific Relations, Security in the Pacific, x.
(^181) International Secretariat, Institute of Pacific Relations, foreword to International
Secretariat, Institute of Pacific Relations, Security in the Pacific, x.
(^182) International Secretariat, Institute of Pacific Relations, Security in the Pacific, 128.