Australian Government - Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Advancing the interests of Australia and Australians internationally

Australian Government - Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Advancing the interests of Australia and Australians internationally

172 Mr John Curtin, Prime Minister, to Mr S. M. Bruce, High Commissioner in the United Kingdom

Cablegram 7737 CANBERRA, 8 December 1941

MOST SECRET AND MOST IMMEDIATE

Please submit to His Majesty a recommendation for the issue to Governor-General [1] of an instrument in similar terms to that already issued with respect to Finland, Hungary and Roumania [2] substituting Japanese Empire for those countries. His Majesty maey take this telegram as representing the advice of His Majesty's Ministers in the Commonwealth. As time is so short, Government may act here in anticipation of issue of such instrument. [3]

JOHN CURTIN

1 Lord Cowrie.

2 See Documents 156 and 165-6 3 Bruce replied later the same day (cablegram 122 on file AA:M100, December 1941) that the King had signed the instrument regarding Japan at the same time as those regarding Finland, Hungary and Rumania. Cablegram 122 was received in Canberra early on 9 December and later that morning the Executive Council authorised the issue of a proclamation (published in Commonwealth Gazette no.

252 of 9 December) formally notifying the existence of a state of war with Japan as from 5 p.m. on 8 December, Australian Eastern Standard Time.

[AA:A1608,0.41/1/2]

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