273

Mr F.K. Officer, Australian Counsellor at British Embassy in Washington, to Department of External Affairs

Cablegram 60 WASHINGTON, 9 October 1939, 5.35 p.m.

CONFIDENTIAL

Hitler’s speech and peace proposal [1] have had on the whole an unfriendly reception, the tendency being to describe them as offering no foundation for peace and to expect and approve of their rejection. Acceptance of them as a basis for discussion would almost certainly be described as preparation for a new Munich despite the fact that there is a certain section here in many ways otherwise friendly who are inclined to question what we are fighting for now that Poland is defeated.

Here insert text of my immediately following telegram. [2]

OFFICER

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1 See Document 267, note 1.

2 Document 274.

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[AA: A981, WAR 45B, i]