I have spent the afternoon at the Department of External Affairs.

Skelton [1] is away on leave and I have seen Dr Beaudry, his
second-in-command, as you will realise a French Canadian, and also
Loring Christie and Norman Robertson, his principal assistants. I
found them anxious to know something about the Australian views on
the situation in the Pacific and anxious lest the United Kingdom
Government might decide to terminate their commercial treaty with
Japan on which Canadian commercial relations with Japan rest. They
appreciated that Australia had its own commercial arrangement and
was independent. The ever-live topic of Australian representation
in Canada was again raised and I was given the impression that the
present intention of the Government is not to send representatives
to either South Africa or Ireland until they can send one to
Australia also. I gained the impression that the Department
thought that it would be a happy development if an Australian High
Commissioner or other political representative in Ottawa and an
Australian Legation in the U.S.A. could be established more or
less contemporaneously.

K. O[FFICER]