Your FEC 258 [1] and 261. [2]

Minister desires you make a general protest against inordinate
delay in F.E.C. in the vital matter of basic policy. It was June
last [3] when the Minister endeavoured to have a basic policy
document considered.

2. You should protest at the unnecessary hurry in putting forward
the reparations proposal.

3. F.E.C. should be asked to give a decision on FEC 081 and it
will be time enough then for Governments to consider position if
there is no agreement. It may be eventually that Reparations
Conference itself should decide all matters including external
assets. In these circumstances we do not favour suggestion of
interim reparation deliveries prior to determination of Conference
of countries to receive shares and their proportion.

4. Provisional lists of items which Australia may desire to obtain
as reparations were forwarded to you with Chancery letter 356 of
17th October. This material should arrive this weekend. We are
preparing additional background information including statistics
of the Australian war effort and of casualties etc. as a basis for
Australian claims. We are hoping to be able to let you have this
in the near future. If there is any particular matter on which it
would be helpful to have information from here we should be glad
to have details.