Empire Lost - Andrew Stewart [137]
26 WCM(39)43, 10 October 1939, CAB65/1; ibid., WCM(39)46, 13 October 1939; HCWM(29), 10 October 1939, DO121/6; Diary, Wednesday 11 October 1939, Lord Avon Papers (University of Birmingham), AP20/1/19.
27 Mansergh, The Commonwealth and the Nations (London, 1948), pp. 32-46.
28 MacDonald, 'Interview to the Oxford Colonial Records Project' (Rhodes House Library), p. 1.
29 Minutes by Lord Halifax and Cadogan, 11 February 1939, FO372/3315; Hankinson to Harvey,
28 March 1939, FO800/310.
30 Minute by Hadow, 12 September 1939, FO371/23966; Hankinson to Jebb, 7 September 1939, DO35/548D/3/128.
31 Notes by Norman Archer, 29 May 1962, Avon Papers, 27/1.
32 Diary, 14 September 1939, Lester Pearson Papers (Library and Archives Canada), MG 26, N8; the majority of the information comes from Norman Archer who worked as Eden's secretary and helped him with the relevant section of his memoirs. As a young naval officer he had served with the Russian fleet during the First World War and entered the DO as part of the post-war reconstruction stream. In his post-war correspondence with his former boss he refers to 'personal and secret letters which you used to write to Mr Chamberlain on matters arising out of the high commissioners meetings' but it has proven impossible to trace copies of these; Archer to Eden,
29 May 1962, Avon Papers, 27/1/62A.
33 Telegram to Dominion governments, 7 September 1939, DO35/548D; HCWM, 8 September 1939, DO121/6.
34 WP(G)(39)10, 14 October 1939, point 3, CAB21/874.
35 The Committee also agreed that the Dominions should not be invited to attend meetings of the Supreme War Council, restricting discussion to just themselves and the French. For a description of the War Council see Butler, Grand Strategy, p. 9.
36 WCM(39)17, 16 October 1939, CAB65/1; there were some reservations, most notably that meetings with the high commissioners should not take place very frequently 'in view of the heavy pressure on the members'.
37 Price to Barnard (Board of Trade), 14 October 1939, CAB104/247.
38 Thomas to Eden, 20 September 1939, CAB104/247; ibid., Graham (WO) to Jacob (Cabinet Secretariat), 16 September 1939.
39 Clark to DO (No. 162), 15 September 1939, CAB104/247.
40 Report no. W13797/9831/68, 20 September 1939, FO371/23963.
41 Minute by Hadow, 17 September 1939, FO371/23963; minute by Hadow, 12 September 1939, FO371/23966.
42 Minute by Cadogan, 27 September 1939, FO371/23963.
43 Barnard to Price, 17 September 1939, CAB104/247; Patrick Howarth, Intelligence Chief Extraordinary (London, 1986), p. 145.
44 Massey, What's Past is Prologue, pp. 297-98, 303-6; Garner cited in I. M. Cumpston, Lord Bruce of Melbourne (Melbourne, 1989), p. 159; Mansergh, The Commonwealth Experience, p. 283; Garner, The Commonwealth Office, p. 90; Holland, Britain and the Commonwealth Alliance, p. 204; Edwards, Bruce of Melbourne, pp. 277-80; Lorna Lloyd, Diplomacy with a Difference: the Commonwealth Office of High Commissioner, 1880-2006 (Leiden, 2007), pp. 63-74.
45 HCWM(2), 8 September 1939, DO121/6.
46 Eden attended all of them with the exception of six in November, when he was conducting the Dominion minister's meeting to France. Of the Dominion high commissioners, the two most regular attendees were Massey, the Canadian representative, and Bruce from Australia who missed only one meeting.
47 Diary, 29 October 1940, Sydney Waterson Papers (University of Cape Town).
48 HCWM(5), 12 September 1939, DO121/6—it was recorded the day after discussion; WCM(39)15, 14 September 1939, CAB65/1; Ismay to Simon, 15 September 1939, CAB104/247.
49 'Question by the Rt. Hon. Ellis-Smith to the Prime Minister', 21 September 1939, CAB21/874; the issue was also debated in the Dominions, Whiskard, high commissioner in Canberra, warned Whitehall that Menzies had told him, 'there was a growing opinion amongst his colleagues that the supply of information was very meagre ... things were happening and would happen which vitally concerned Australia but about which they knew nothing until afterwards'. Surprisingly Lester