Cablegram 275 [1] CANBERRA, 23 October 1944
TOP SECRET MOST IMMEDIATE
Your telegrams D.1564 [2], D.1570 [3] and 286 [4] of 19th October.
We welcome the proposal to recognise the present French administration as the Provisional Government of France and will be glad to convey Australian recognition in terms similar to those used in your telegram D.1570.
2. In view, however, of the presence in Canberra of a French Charge d’Affaires [5] we feel that we should communicate this to him for transmission to his Government rather than through Mr.
Duff Cooper.
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1 Repeated to the N.Z. Prime Minister as no. 231.
2 Document 324.
3 Dispatched 20 October. On file AA:A989, E44/350/4/6. It conveyed the text of the communication referred to in Document 324, paragraph 8.
4 On the file cited in note 3.
5 On 3 January Cranborne advised that the French Committee of National Liberation in Algiers agreed to an exchange of diplomatic representatives with Australia. (See cablegram 2 on file AA:A989, E44/350/5/5/1.) The initial French appointee as Minister to Australia, Jacques Coiffard, proved unnacceptable to the commonwealth Govt (see Evatt’s unnumbered cablegram to Duff Cooper of 12 April, on file AA:M100, April 1944) and it was not until 12 December informal Royal Approval was given for the appointment of Pierre Auge as French Minister to Australia. (see Bruce’s cablegram 173A of 12 December, on file AA:M100, December 1944.) Following recognition of the French provisional Govt on 23October, however, Roger Monmayou, Secretary of the Free French Delegation, became Charge d’Affaires. F. H Stuart arrived in Paris as Charge d’Affaires on 7 June 1945 to establish the mission in France.
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[AA:A989, E44/350/4/6]