CDKW00452 - Commonwealth Disunity?

This dispatch from Wellington to Ottawa dated 15 November 1951 reveals a very different portrait than the cordial diplomatic negotiations or military reports of Commonwealth goodwill. Within this account, Canadian soldiers were accused by New Zealanders and Australians of handcuffing and chaining their fellow Commonwealth troops. In it, an Australian soldier who claims to have been chained and placed in solitary confinement by Canadian troops attested that “They illtreated our men because they hate our guts.” Both the Australians and New Zealanders were planning on sending these reports up the chain of command and signaling Korea, with the aim of learning more about reported incidents. Despite the image of Commonwealth unity presented by their military cooperation, this alternate image of the discontent present on the ground temporarily increased tensions between Wellington, Canberra, and Ottawa.