Canberra, 17 May 1966
Confidential
Without Memorandum—Creation of Post of Ambassador to Taiwan
On the recommendation of the Minister for External Affairs, the Cabinet agreed that Australia should establish an Embassy in Taipeh. It agreed that this decision might be announced by the Minister when he visited Taiwan early in July. 1
[NAA: A4940, C4370]
1 The decision to open an Embassy in Taipei was controversial but no primary documentation has been found to highlight the reasons behind the move. An account commonly given by diplomats of the time is that Holt was persuaded by the ROC Ambassador at a social occasion to make a personal undertaking to establish an Embassy.