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

205 Evatt to Department of External Affairs

Cablegram E9 LONDON, 22 April 1946, 2.24 p.m.

MOST IMMEDIATE SECRET

Reference IT to the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs and their 158 to You. [1] I must point out that your proposed reply to Ball was never submitted to me as it should have been. As a result number 158 causes considerable embarrassment. In addition Ball's exercise of jurisdiction has to be supervised by me, certainly not by the departmental adviser who is responsible for the draft reply and who sent views to other Governments in their present inadequate and unsatisfactory form. Read again our 118 to the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs. [2]

You should inform the United Kingdom Government they can discuss the matter with me in London.

Again your 177 [3] breaches my instructions to Ball to consult me.

It will be impossible for Ball to carry on business if every decision has to be submitted to four countries before he takes any action.

Please transmit Ball's reports to me in the first instance otherwise the situation will get completely out of hand. [4]

1 Documents 188 and 194 respectively.

2 Document 124.

3 See Document 203, note 6.

4 A departmental reply on 25 April explained that cablegrams 171 and 177 had been drafted before Evatt's departure for London on 17 April, but were not seen by him 'owing to other pressing matters'.

To save further delay the views of other governments had been sought in the period before Evatt could consider them in London>

Draft instructions to Ball had been forwarded for Evatt's approval (Document 203) before receipt of cablegram E9, and the Dept's action had seemed compatible with paragraph 1(iv) of cablegram 118 (Document 124). It promised that Ball's future reports would be transmitted immediately on receipt.

[AA:A1067, P46/10/33/19, i]

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