Canberra, 11 August 1971
As you know, following the discussion I had with you and Mr Collings,1 I raised with the Prime Minister the question of control of Australia House and its possible transfer to the Department of Foreign Affairs. This was on 10 July.
The Prime Minister’s reaction was that we seemed to have assumed a prior policy decision on his part that this transfer should occur and that we were accordingly only concerning ourselves with mechanics.2
What he wanted to see was a paper setting out the pros and cons of transfer.
I said that I would talk again with you and the Chairman of the Board with a view to having such a paper prepared.
I should like to arrange this discussion for a time convenient to the three of us.
1 Document 374.
2 Document 375.