Cablegram 47 CANBERRA, 23 February 1943
Your telegrams No. 48 [1] and 49 [2] received. The Commonwealth Government would be glad to receive Mr. Berendsen as High Commissioner for New Zealand in Australia [3] and arrangements would be made for Government Departments to co-operate with him in every possible way.
Having regard to our previous oral discussions we have not recently considered the question of appointing a High Commissioner in New Zealand. We will now do so. For the immediate present we would be content with our present representative in New Zealand.
[4] This decision need not however delay your plans in regard to Mr. Berendsen. We would give him a warm welcome and would bear in mind the question of making a reciprocal appointment as early as practicable.
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1 Document 122.
2 Dispatched 20 February. On file AA:A461, B348/1/17. It summarised Berendsen’s previous career.
3 Berendsen arrived in Australia on 17 March.
4 J. L. Menzies, Trade Commissioner in New Zealand. T. G. D’Alton took up duty as High Commissioner in New Zealand on 10 December 1943.
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[AA:A461, B348/1/17]