Evatt asked me to dine privately with him in view of his departure
tomorrow. [1] We dined alone in the main room of the flat with a
large dinner party raging in the next room. Evatt was amazingly
cordial and proceeded to tell me that it was essential that I
should go on as the Accredited Representative of the Australian
Government in the event of the present Government being returned
at the election. He said that of course he did not know what the
attitude of the Opposition would be if they came into office. He
said that he had told the Press this and had referred to it at
several private functions.

Evatt then told me that he had had a talk to the Prime Minister
when he was down at Chequers and the Prime Minister had referred
to my letter of August last [2] but had expressed the greatest
personal regard for me. I told Evatt that I had had a conversation
recently with the Prime Minister when we had discussed this same
letter. [3] That while quite obviously the Prime Minister had had
some feeling with regard to the matter, I did not think since our
conversation he felt any resentment in connection with it.

Evatt then somewhat staggered me by saying that there was no doubt
it was a very good thing I had written the letter and in doing so
I had maintained Australia's position. This was a little
surprising in view of the antics of Evatt and Robinson in the
early days of this year when they were quite obviously out to use
the letter to get me out of the position of Accredited
Representative. [4] I naturally did not refer to this.

It is interesting that Evatt should, in his statement to me about
the Prime Minister having mentioned my letter, definitely [have]
given the impression that this was the first that he, Evatt, had
heard of it.

Evatt also said that it was a great thing we had done in
establishing the right to have an Accredited Representative and he
implied that the other Dominions were now regretting that they had
allowed Australia to get away with a privileged position.

I tried to get at what he bases this thought upon but could not
get any daylight and I am inclined to think he had no grounds for
making the observation.

Evatt then told me that he gathered from his conversation with the
Prime Minister that in the event of my ceasing to be the
Accredited Representative the Prime Minister would not be prepared
to continue the arrangement. To this attitude of the Prime
Minister Evatt appeared to take no exception, which is only
another evidence of the complete domination the Prime Minister
seems to have established over him. For my part I would not accept
such an attitude for a moment and the fact that the Prime Minister
feels he can adopt it is only another demonstration of the fact
that he just cannot understand the new status that the Dominions
have acquired. I did not, however, pursue the matter with Evatt.

He then referred to the cablegram which was sent at the weekend
with regard to post-war civil aviation [5] and expressed a
considerable indignation that the telegram had been sent without a
further meeting with him. He said that he had written to Cranborne
with regard to the matter, but added that while nothing could be
done about it he had written a letter in order to assist me in
claiming the right of proper consultation. [6]

I pointed out to Evatt that this was only another example of the
difficulties of consultation with the United Kingdom Government. I
also explained to him the position with regard to the United
Kingdom Government always insisting on sorting out their internal
troubles before they were prepared to discuss any question with
the Dominions. This led to the position that when the Dominions
were consulted the United Kingdom had already made up its mind and
its own line of policy and it was at that stage very difficult to
shift them from it. This episode over the question of post-war
civil aviation was a very good lesson to Evatt, that even with his
presence here consultation did not take place.

I then asked him whether he had been consulted with regard to the
question of post-war policy and his reply was that it had not been
discussed with him.

I next told him that I had very good information that the matter
was under active consideration in the United Kingdom Cabinet, but
that they had not spoken to him merely showed their incurable
reluctance to really consult even when there was a senior Dominion
Minister in London.

He then told me that he had had a meeting with Eden and Attlee
with regard to TIMOR, and we had some discussion with regard to
the question-it is not necessary, however, to set out the lines of
discussion as the position is made quite clear in the
communications which have been exchanged with Australia. [7]

He then referred to the question of getting Drummond as Chief of
the Air Staff in Australia. [8] I asked him whether he had any
information as to the developments since he left Australia and I
found that he had had none. I accordingly took him over what has
occurred and told him the story with regard to Joubert and
Longmore. I then discovered that Lady Astor [9] had been talking
to him about Joubert and had expressed the view that Joubert was
one of the outstanding personalities here. Lady Astor had
apparently told Evatt that Joubert's troubles had all arisen from
the fact that lie was too good a broadcaster and the Prime
Minister had become jealous of his success. I told Evatt that this
was a gross exaggeration, but it was quite evident my observations
did not impress him and he is accepting Lady Astor's story.

We then went on to discuss the position in Australia and Evatt
said that both Jones and Bostock were hopeless and he also
expressed the view that we had very little up to date information
as to modern developments in the air against the sea war.

I told him that on the latter point I agreed, but then outlined to
him the possibility of Tizard going to Australia as being a
solution of this problem. This Evatt bit onto, and proceeded to
take a note of Tizard and Joubert's names with a view he told me
of sending a telegram to the Prime Minister recommending Tizard
should be officially invited to Australia and that they should
take a risk and get Joubert out as Chief of the Air Staff even if
only for a limited time.

During our conversation we had some discussion on the election
prospects in Australia and Evatt's view was that the Government
would be returned and I think he feels they will have an increased
majority. It is clear, however, that some doubts are in his mind
and these have probably come from his conversations with the
Editors who are over here [10]

and from the information that Robinson has probably received from
Australia.

The whole atmosphere, on Evatt's part, was most cordial and this
is a somewhat amusing position in view of our earlier clash. [11]

S.M.B.