Cablegram unnumbered CANBERRA, 9 December 1941
You are instructed to inform the Imperial Japanese Government immediately that a state of war exists and has existed between His Majesty’s Government in the Commonwealth of Australia and the Imperial Japanese Government as from 5 O’clock in the afternoon, 9th [1] December, 1941. [2]
EVATT
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1 This should read 8th December. See Document 172, note 3.
2 Evatt informed the Japanese Minister to Australia, Tatsuo Kawai, of the contents of this cablegram in a letter dispatched the same day (on file AA: A981, War 69, ii). The Japanese Foreign Minister, Shigenori Togo, had already advised Officer on 8 December that a state of war existed between Japan and Australia as from that day.
Officer drafted a cablegram (no. 531) to this effect on 8 December, but it does not appear to have been dispatched from Tokyo until to December. See the Canberra copy of no. 531 (on file AA: A981, War 53A) and the Tokyo legation copy (subsequently brought back to Australia by Officer) On file AA: A981, Japan 181, iv.
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[AA: A981, WAR 44]