[Received 2 May 1945]

Evatt to Mulrooney for Beasley alone. No copies are to be made & I
trust you also to assist in this vital matter.

1. News of Curtin's illness is very distressing. Please inform him
of the great concern my wife and I feel about him and how
tremendously we wish for his earliest and fullest recovery.

2. I had intended to wire him frankly about the position
developing here but I refrained on account of reports of his
indifferent health and in the hope that my colleague here would
recognise my responsibility for the foreign policy of the Govt.

The situation now has altered and action should be taken, partly
because on yourself, Chifley, Makin and several others must fall
heavy additional burdens.

3. The position at San Francisco is that Forde despite his almost
complete lack of knowledge of the general and particular policy I
have been pursuing seizes every opportunity of intervention &

interference causing confusion and lack of direction at critical
points. One illustration is the policy speech delivered on Friday
last. [2] Forde insisted on making it though Curtin would never
have dreamt of doing so. It was composed entirely by myself with
the exception of four or five foolish and rhetorical sentences. It
was not even read without errors. However it-led to very
favourable comment but the result of this sailing under false
colours is that other foreign ministers are seeking him out and
bypassing me while he never informs me of the position but is
quite unable even to intelligently understand the great issues we
are facing and the significance of the amendments we are
proposing. I believe that no other Minister of the Government
could possibly behave so greedily or so selfishly. Only for the
scandal involved to the Government I would have taken drastic
action days ago. With the work so heavy and so important this
additional load is too much to bear.

4. One source of the trouble is that Curtin deliberately refrained
from making either of us leader of the delegation. In the first
instance, Curtin told me that I would lead it. Forde says that
Curtin told him also that he would lead it. In no public statement
or official instructions was any direction on the matter issued by
Curtin. Yet on every occasion Forde with the assistance of
Buttrose, Hardy [3] and his separate staff causes to be published
the fact that he is both leader and chairman of the delegation. I
cannot deny it publicly without further scandal and he trades on
that fact. This too despite the fact that every other delegation
is under the control of its foreign Minister. Eden for instance
leads the U.K. delegation while Attlee, Deputy Prime Minister,
accepts this lead.

5. What Curtin told me at the last was that I should recognise
Forde's seniority but at the same time Forde must recognise that
all the matters at the conference related to foreign affairs and
that these were my primary responsibility. This seemed an almost
impossible plan but it might have worked out had there been any
generosity or restraint on Forde's part. There has been neither.

At all points he interferes and hinders until it is almost unsafe
to talk or negotiate with other delegations. One reason for this
is his almost unrestrained desire to please and praise every other
person & every other country except Australia. As a result we
start off always with a severe handicap. As you know, we have got
to deal with tough people and in Australia's interests we have to
be equally tough. There is a chance of our bringing off several
great successes in the amendments including a full employment
pledge for which you and I have fought so hard and consistently.

But it will not be possible to do this if the present
unsatisfactory position drags on. The truth is that I have to
fight on too many fronts. I can fight other countries with some
success but I cannot fight folly and weakness on my home front. In
London I was successful because I gradually assumed control of the
talks and as all the meetings were private, no publicity attached
to the private meetings. Therefore all the work fell upon me and I
reached a position where Britain, Canada and even South Africa
frequently came round to our views. But as you know the follow up
is the real test and the British, knowing Forde's weakness for
agreeing with everybody rather seize the chance of avoiding
several important commitments.

6. I have telegraphed to you in absolute frankness because of the
overriding importance of this conference in completing past policy
and shaping our external policy for the future. I am fighting on
tenaciously but I feel bruised in spirit at the disgraceful
treatment to which I have been subjected. A personal relationship
which I valued is being ruined by the false position in which we
both have been placed.

7. The position now is that it is absolutely unnecessary from the
point of view of efficiency for 2 Ministers to stay here for at
least another month or 5 weeks. On the contrary it causes
inefficiency. Three senior Ministers will be absent from duty and
you, & others will have a heavy additional burden. I am also
anxious to clear the ground for arrangements we discussed in
Australia and I would ask Mulrooney to show you the cables, if he
has not done so.

8. I must therefore ask that in view of the Prime Minister's
illness being prolonged Forde should be asked to resume duty in
Australia as soon as possible leaving the responsibility for
completing the work here on my shoulders. Please deal with the
matter urgently consulting only such colleagues as you can safely
trust. I know you will appreciate the difficulty and urgency of
the matter and will act speedily in the emergency.

9. Chifley wired as to Acting Min External Affairs. I nominated
you, failing you Norman Makin. [4]

For Mulrooney from Waller-Minister wishes reply direct to AUST DEL
San Francisco & not through Washington.