Following for Prime Minister. [2]

Thank you for your cable regarding Bruce and the proposed Legation
at Washington. [3] I greatly appreciate your statements regarding
the importance of having Bruce in London.

What I first had in mind was appointing Bruce to Washington and
sending somebody like Casey [4] to London. in reply to this
suggestion Bruce pointed out that he thought his experience would
be more useful in London, particularly during a time of war, and
on consideration I agreed with this.

I then suggested that Bruce might make a very brief visit to
Washington to establish the Legation and then return to London. By
that time. Casey would be back in Australia and would have made
his report and could be appointed to Washington.

My difficulty is that there is a growing impatience here at my
failure to make a Washington appointment and that sending Bruce to
Washington for a few weeks would have satisfied this agitation. If
Bruce is not to go then I may have to defer any action in relation
to Washington until after Casey's return, in which case criticism
will become very acute.

If you will think it undesirable for Bruce to go even for a brief
period would be glad if you would at once take the necessary steps
through Lothian [5] to secure approval of the establishment of an
Australian Legation at Washington with reciprocal appointment of
American Minister to Canberra, and at the same time ascertain
whether I could open Legation with a Charge d'Affaires and defer
the nomination of my Minister for say 2 months.

Kind regards.

MENZIES