Letter (extract) [CANBERRA], 10 September 1948
The Prime Minister has decided that I should go to London almost immediately to confer with United Kingdom economic staff on long- term economic plans to deal with the shortage of dollars. The purpose of the consultation is to ensure that Australia and other members of the sterling area are working to common assumptions as to the nature of the possible settlement and that plans for development between the various Commonwealth countries should be effectively coordinated. It is the Prime Minister’s intention that I should remain in London to assist in the work of the Prime Minister’s Conference where this question, as well as the question of economic development of the resources of the British Commonwealth, are major items on the agenda.
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[AA: M448, 137]