Dear Mr. Bruce,

It has been with feelings of intense satisfaction that one has
read the cables announcing your great electoral victory. [1] It is
perfectly clear that the result is a great personal triumph. I
hope you will accept my most sincere congratulations.

The attitude of people here may be of interest to you. The general
feeling among such Ministers, Members and other people as I have
seen since you went to the country has been that you had taken a
line that was at once wise, bold and gallant. The last word I have
heard frequently used about your action. I think most people here
thought your chances of winning were not better than 50-50 and the
delight with the results is, therefore, the greater because
unexpected. I am quite sure that I am right in saying that when
you come over for the next Imperial Conference, you will have a
very great reception. I cannot but feel that Ministers here are
far from being big men; with Mr. Massey [2] and General Smuts [3]
gone and with Mr. Mackenzie King under a cloud [4], it appears
certain that you will find yourself the dominant force at the
Conferences. I hope that affairs will adjust themselves in such a
way as to enable me to do a good deal of useful preparatory work
towards making the next Imperial Economic Conference fruitful of
big results.

With the very best wishes to yourself both in a personal and also
in a political sense.

Yours sincerely,
F. L. MCDOUGALL