Canberra, 23 September 1972
Confidential
Australia House
I rang the Minister for Foreign Affairs. I said that I rang because Mr Bowen was about to leave for the UN and the Prime Minister has asked me to speak to him about the Australia House letter.1
2. I would have wished to do that anyway. Because of other matters, the meeting between us arranged for Thursday had to be cancelled and Friday was not possible.
3. Mr Bowen said that he thought the new letter from the Prime Minister brought our positions much closer together. He thought he could probably accept what was written. He had, in fact, sent a reply earlier in the day.2 Therefore, for his part, he was happy to let it go without further discussion at this stage unless I had a point to raise.
4. I said not. I was simply offering myself for discussion.
1 Document 404.
2 Document 405.
[NAA:A1209, 1971/9449 PART 2]