Canberra, 16 April 1963
As directed I recently discussed with Mr Larmour, Counsellor of the British High Commission in Canberra (who on that date was in charge of the High Commission)2 the arrangements for passengers from Commonwealth countries to pass through immigration controls in the United Kingdom.
2. Mr Larmour has now written to me the attached letter which is self-explanatory.3
3. Regarding his second paragraph 7 the case you mentioned to me took place, as I remember, not later than September 1962, and I have so informed Mr Larmour, but have explained to him that I have not yet had a chance to discuss the whole letter with you.
4. Mr Larmour told me that in the early days of the new controls they had a number of complaints direct from Australians who had suffered as your friends from Adelaide had last year4
1 Downer minuted at the bottom of page 1: ‘Thank you. It now seems as if there should be an avoidance of friction in the future.’
2 The High Commissioner, Sir William Oliver, was on leave briefly in 1962.
3 Document 311 .
4 Downer’s Adelaide friends are not identified in the file, but he was periodically approached by friends and acquaintances with complaints about arrangements at British entry gates, particularly in his subsequent role as Australian High Commissioner in London.
[NAA: A446, 1970/95740]