54

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

Cablegram 23 WASHINGTON, 10 February 1940

Following is the text referred to in my immediately preceding telegram:-

The Government of the United States has received reports from private sources to the effect that a large amount of Australian wheat was recently sold to Japan on a twelve to eighteen months open credit and that Australian wheat flour is now being offered for sale to North China and Dairen on open credit terms at an extraordinarily low price. In view of its interest in the situation in the Far East and the bearing which the transactions on the basis mentioned would have upon that situation, the Government of the United States would appreciate receiving any information available to the Government of the Australian Commonwealth in regard to the accuracy of the reports under reference. [1]

_

1 The copy circulated in Canberra was marked as having come from the U.K. Embassy in Washington. Officer’s name has been taken from the Washington file copy on AA: A3300, 74.

_

[AA: A981, TRADE 68, iii]