(Due to arrive Melbourne-26.6.26)

My dear P.M.,

I must draw your attention to an important despatch from Sir
Charles Eliot [1], H.M. retiring Ambassador at Tokyo-
(F.1164/949/23 of March 19th)-copy of which goes to you officially
by this mail. After six years as Ambassador to Japan, he writes
this 'farewell' despatch summarising his views on Japan. It is of
unequal interest to you personally and so I have had reproduced
the section dealing with 'Foreign Policy', which I attach hereto.

[2] The remainder of the paper, whilst of great interest for
future record, is not of immediate importance to you. Sir Charles
Eliot had many years' experience of the Far East even before he
became H.M. Ambassador and I am assured that one can accept his
views as representing about the best and most acute analysis of
Japan's aims that a foreigner can achieve.

2. As a lighter touch, I enclose you copy of a despatch from H.M.

Ambassador at Constantinople (Lindsay [3]) describing a beanfeast
at Angora. Chamberlain [4] had it printed to amuse and increase
the morale of the Cabinet.

3. I saw Amery [5] immediately on getting your letter a week ago
about the N.S.W. Second Chamber [6], and gave him a copy of
Bavin's letter to you and made known to him your additional
comments. He had, up till that time, had only a courtesy call from
McTiernan [7], who made an appointment for, I think, tomorrow to
put forward his views on the constitutional position. Amery said
that his own views were practically the same as yours and that he
did not anticipate that McTiernan would have anything to put
forward that would influence H.M.G. in altering those views.

4. I asked Amery if there was anything new to say on the question
of inter-imperial trade. He said that he had just written a letter
to Winston [8], saying that if, as a result of anticipated loss of
revenue due to the Strike, he proposed to suggest any increase in
duties, then he wished to suggest dried fruits and sugar, an
increase in duty on which would enable a little additional
preference to be given to the Dominions.

5. Amery tells me that it is pretty well established that the Duke
of York will go to Australia to open Canberra. Amery had spoken to
him about it privately some time ago but, for his own reasons, he
wanted the first official intimation of the proposal to come to
the Duke of York from the King. So that when the King spoke to the
Duke of York, the latter affected to be hearing of it for the
first time and registered surprise and delight. The King led off
(so Amery tells me): 'Now, Bertie, no more babies for a bit;

you've got to go to Australia on a job of work.'

6. The Air Force and the Admiralty keep up their squabbles. An
'Air' paper has just been circulated in draft form for approval
before printing, as one of the papers to be submitted to Dominion
P.M.s prior to the Imperial Conference. It started with the
sentence 'The Royal Air Force consists of 62 squadrons'. The
Admiralty took exception to this sentence, on the ground that the
equivalent of 9 of these squadrons were in the Fleet Air Arm. The
usual rather bitter controversy took place. Hankey [9] spent all
one day trying to produce a form of words to suit them both,
suggesting 'The air forces of the Crown', or 'Our air defences',
or 'The Air Force'-but at present they both have their toes in and
their heads high.

7. Tom Jones [10] has just told me with great amusement of an
incident that happened at 10, Downing Street, a week ago. The P.M.

[11], Evan Williams [12] (spokesman of the coal mine owners) and
Tom Jones were sitting in front of a fire about 10 p.m., when the
door opened and Birkenhead [13]was ushered in, obviously having
dined very well. He said 'Good evening' to them and went and stood
with his back to the fire and proceeded to address himself
exclusively to Williams, who is a small man, sunk in the depths of
a big chair. 'And in you, Mr. Williams, I see represented the
great coal owners of this country-the men who have thrown this
country to the verge of the pit for lack of foresight, for lack of
skill in conducting their own affairs, and for sheer lack of any
merit or virtue other than an animal appetite for bloody
dividends. You throw the country to the verge of stark horror-and
you let us crawl back as best we can. Who are you to shuffle your
burden off on to the shoulders of the nation? Is one wrong in
looking for some of the elements of statesmanship amongst the
leaders of our great industries?'-and so on to the length of a
quarter of an hour-a very fine impromptu oratorical outburst,
which astonished the P.M., very much entertained Tom Jones, and
completely demolished Evan Williams!

8. Sandwich-men have recently been parading London streets with
boards advertising two new books. On one side of the board is
'Disarmament' by Professor P. J. N. Baker [14], and on the other
'Castles in the Air'. There seems to be some connection.

9. I was told recently by one of the Scotland Yard people that the
main reasons for the formation of the Government Post Office by
Cromwell was his desire to suppress the private courier and to
concentrate all the courier services under the eye of the
Government, so that the communications that passed could be made
subject to examination in passing through the Government's hands
if they were suspected of being subversive. This right of
interception has remained in the hands of the Secretary for Home
Affairs ever since.

I am, Yours sincerely,
R. G. CASEY

[Handwritten postscript]

This mail has been very much hurried owing to a rush of material
at the last moment. I have had to hold over several matters owing
to the inability of my two girls to cope with it.