(Due to arrive Melbourne-9.1.26)

My dear P.M.,

1. The outstanding events lately have been Queen Alexandra's [1]
death and the Locarno Pact [2] signing.

The London Press appeared to me to run wild over Queen Alexandra's
death. The sob stuff was, in my opinion, overdone and cheap. It
was a press 'coup' in which all could and did participate. Grief
becomes pretty tawdry when it is 'featured'.

2. The very important League Council Meeting is sitting at this
moment. [3]

3. Individual members of the Cabinet (and Hankey [4]) are a good
deal worried over the Mosul business. [5] It would be a fatal blow
for this Government if they were dragged into even a minor war
with Turkeyconsidering the fact that the Conservatives superseded
the Lloyd George regime owing to the latter's attitude over Chanak
more than anything else. [6] However, it looks as if war, in any
event, will be avoided.

4. I lunched recently with Richard Jebb, who wrote 'Studies in
Colonial Nationalism' and 'The Britannic Question', and who has a
book in course of publication called 'The Empire in Eclipse'. He
lives entirely in the country now and is really out of touch with
what is going on. The only point of any interest to you that arose
was his conviction that the 'contracting out' clause about the
Dominions in the Locarno Pact neutralises the Dominions in case of
war, and that prior to their taking part in a war arising out of
the Pact, they would individually have to declare war. [7] I don't
think this is a well-founded criticism.

5. Another instance of the infidelity of the Press was the
'Morning Post's' publication last week of the substance of the
Irish Boundary Commission's Report, which they got through some
'leak'. It complicated an already very difficult situation. I send
you in a separate letter the story of the Irish Settlement. I have
heard it said on very good authority that the Morning Post's
'expose' cost this country many millions, meaning that the
difference between the settlement that would have been effected
and the only one that was possible when the M.P. let the cat out
of the bag, was a good many million pounds. A lot of people are
out to drink Gwynne's [8] blood-the Editor. And they cannot afford
to lose any more circulation and live.

6. Tom Jones [9] tells me that the P.M. [10] is in the habit of
calling in Geoffrey Dawson [11] and Lord Burnham [12] to talk to
him when he has been away from London for a week or more. They
tell him the story of the Realm from their point of view.

You know, I expect, that the control of the 'Times' has been made
(by Major Astor [13]) the subject of a perpetual trust to operate
after his death. He will have the disposition of the financial
interest but not of the control of the policy of the paper. A
small Committee will operate the Trust, composed of the Archbishop
of Canterbury and similar functionaries who are considered not to
be swayed by the baser human motives.

7. I sat near Sir Fabian Ware [14] (Imperial War Graves
Commission) at a function recently. He had recently been out to
Gallipoli to see the cemeteries. He remarked on the number of
British and Australian monuments and the bitterness in the Turkish
Press at the implied slur to Turkish arms and gallantry by reason
of the grandiose wording of our memorials, and the lack of any
similar memorials to mark the place and the events from the
Turkish paint of view-although as they rightly say, their arms
prevailed over ours. The first reply that springs to one's mind is
that this is the Turks' affair and that it is up to them to raise
what memorials they like. However, Ware made the suggestion that
the Graves Commission should put up a series of simple stones with
an inscription both in English and Turkish, indicating the general
run of the line held by the Turks, and with suitable appreciative
reference to the might of the Turkish arms, their worthiness and
gallantry as foes, and to the fact that, try as we might, we could
not dislodge them. A little eulogy of the Turk would redound to
our honour, and no doubt greatly please the Turk. Ware said that
the Graves Commission could spend a hundred or so pounds in this
way without question.

8. If you read Lindsay's [15] impressions of the new synthetic
Turkish capital at Angora (E.7370/109/144 by this mail), I hope
you will find no analogy to Canberra. This print is unimportant-in
fact, rather amusing.

9, It is the habit of the hour to talk
limitation of armaments, but I can't help feeling that it is to a
great extent window-dressing. The difficulties are too great, not
only the task of getting States with divergent interests to get
together and give and take, but the mere existence of an armed
Russia to my mind nullifies everything. A lot of tongues are in a
lot of cheeks just now, I think.

10. There was a most entertaining debate in the House of Lords
yesterday on the Irish Settlement. Unfortunately I was not able to
hear it, but Tom Jones has told me that Birkenhead's [16] speech
was the finest thing he has heard, as a piece of oratory. I
enclose the Record of it which, if you have time to look at it,
will, I think, interest you. A certain Lord Danesfort [17] (who
until last year was Sir J. Butcher, Bart., a lawyer) made bold to
challenge my Lord Birkenhead in debate and was soundly trounced
for his temerity. The record of his cruel trouncing (P. 1270)
shows what Birkenhead can do when he's roused.

11. I must thank you for letting me have the two lots of ten days'
leave, at Christmas and at the end of January. Hankey will cable
you in my name with regard to the proposed Imperial Conference and
will deal with any cables that may come from you on urgent
matters. The Irish Settlement filled the Cabinet agenda paper for
the ten days before Amery [18] went to Geneva. I saw him three
times about it as I know you wanted a decision, but he was not
able to get sufficient time to have it discussed.

With all good wishes for the New Year, I am, Yours sincerely,
R. G. CASEY