Your cable 1073. [1]

It had been announced by B.B.C. and from other sources that
Australian troops had been engaged in battle in the Western
Desert. Government under pressure for a statement and as usual in
humiliating position of having to say 'we have no official news'.

Circular D.W. 514 [2] then arrived and I stated its substance to
Parliament.

My colleagues and I are at a complete loss to understand how Italy
can fail to be aware of localities in which engagements occurring.

If we are wrong in this respect we can only express regret but we
would like to know the reasons for the contrary view.

I would like to add for your information that we at this end are
never in a position to make any statement to Parliament or to the
people about war events because the news we get from the Dominions
Office is always a long way behind the Press and Radio and when
cables do arrive they are invariably 'Most Secret'. The effect of
this has been to discredit us very much. We are represented as a
Government that knows less than the newspaper reporters and that
it does not even know whether its soldiers have gone to Greece or
into action as the case may be.

I feel that it is not too much to insist that we must be allowed
some reasonable discretion at this end.

MENZIES