Harry Thomson Andrews

Harry Thomson Andrews represented South Africa at the League of Nations before his Washington appointment. In 1937 he and Stefanus Gie were the Union’s delegates to the Montreux conference on Egypt. They signed the convention providing for the abolition of foreign legal privileges and a transition from the mixed courts to Egyptian national jurisdiction. ^{4, 6}

Andrews presented credentials as minister in Washington on 10 August 1945 and also served as South Africa’s permanent representative at the United Nations. The two assignments brought him into the dispute over restrictions on South Africa’s Indian population. In October 1947 Jawaharlal Nehru reported that Andrews had told an Indian official it would be difficult to suspend the Asiatic Act, even temporarily, during proposed negotiations. Nehru disputed that position and proposed reciprocal suspension of the law and India’s trade embargo. ^{1, 5}

On 3 March 1949 Andrews presented ambassadorial credentials to Harry Truman, completing the elevation of the South African legation to embassy status. In August he accompanied Defence Minister F. C. Erasmus to discussions about obtaining American military equipment. Andrews urged greater flexibility in U.S. aid programmes and suggested that South Africa’s uranium resources could provide something in return; Under Secretary James Webb cautioned against expecting immediate assistance. After Washington, he served as ambassador in France and also held accreditation to Switzerland during the 1950s. ^{2, 7, 3}