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Bookplate inserted; three-and-a-half-page typed letter enclosed between pages 372 and 373 on letterhead of Lanoma House, 517-521 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne and dated 19 January 1949: “MY DEAR BOB, YOU MUST BE INDEED PROUD AND GRATIFIED AT YOUR RECEPTION BOTH IN PERTH AND IN MELBOURNE AND YOUR PROGRESS TO DATE. I CAN ASSURE YOU I AM VERY HAPPY. [/] THE TIME, HOWEVER, I AM SURE YOU WILL AGREE HAS ARRIVED FOR REFLECTION, SO THAT PROFIT MAY BE TAKEN FROM THE OMISSIONS (OR OTHERWISE) FROM YOUR SPEECHES IN PERTH AND MELBOURNE AND PERHAPS A FEW OBSERVATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS MAY BE HELPFUL. YOU WOULD BE WELL ADVISED NOT TO MAKE ANY REFERENCE TO EIRE IN YOUR REMARKS REGARDING EMPIRE UNITY, REMEMBERING THAT THERE IS STILL A NUMBER OF IRISH CATHOLICS IN THIS COMMUNITY WHO ARE SO FANATICAL THAT THEY TAKE UMBRAGE IMMEDIATELY THEY CONSIDER A SLIGHT HAS BEEN OFFERED, AND SO THEIR SUPPORT IS LOST. IF YOU CANNOT USE ANY OTHER EXAMPLE THAN EIRE, THEN DELETE THAT PORTION FROM YOUR TEXT. AFTER YOU HAD DEPARTED FROM MR. PAXTON’S SITTING ROOM, MR. AHERN WHOM YOU MET, SAID TO ME “I WOULD LIKE TO BE TRAVELLING ON THE PLANE TO MELBOURNE WITH MR. MENZIES TOMORROW NIGHT, I WOULD GIVE HIM SOME GOOD ADVICE”, AND WHEN ASKED TO GO FURTHER, HE SAID “HE WILL GET SUPPORT AT THE NEXT ELECTION THAT HE PREVIOUSLY NEVER ENJOYED, THAT BEING OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, PARTICULARLY AFTER HIS DENUNCIATION OF COMMUNISM TONIGHT. I DID NOT, HOWEVER, APPRECIATE HIS REFERENCE TO EIRE; I CAME FROM SOUTHERN IRELAND, STILL HAVE BROTHERS THERE, HAVE BEEN HERE FOR 35 YEARS BUT, THERE ARE JUST SO MANY LOYAL SOULS IN SOUTHERN IRELAND AS THERE ARE IN AUSTRALIA”. SILLY, ISN’T IT, BUT A STRAW IN THE WIND, AND I MUST CONFESS THAT MY HEART SANK A LITTLE WHEN YOU MENTIONED EIRE, NOT BECAUSE OF ANY STATEMENT YOU MADE BUT BECAUSE OF POSSIBLE REACTION, AS ABOVE. BY PASS IT, IT IS DANGEROUS. [/] I SUGGEST FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION, UNLESS YOU HAVE FURTHER SUBJECTS AS YET DISCUSSED, THAT YOU CONSIDER THE ADVISABILITY OF DISCUSSING IN SYDNEY THE FOLLOWING, NOT NECESSARILY IN THIS ORDER: 1. EMPIRE UNITY [/] SLIGHT REFERENCE TO BIRTH OF FRANCE. FOOD FOR BRITAIN. OMITTING ANY REFERENCE TO EIRE AND, WITHOUT MAKING YOUR REPORT TO THE NATION A POLITICAL SPEECH, A LITTLE STRONGER REFERENCE TO DR. EVATT. [/] SOCIALISM AS PRACTISED IN ENGLAND AND AS PRACTICED IN AUSTRALIA; THE EFFECT OF THE FORMER IN THE LATTER. GOOD STUFF IN PERTH, PARTICULARLY THE REFERENCE TO BANK NATIONALISATION WITHOUT MANDATE. [/] 3. POSITION IN WESTERN EUROPE. INTENSELY INTERESTING; A DIVERSITY OF SUBJECTS KEEPS THE ATTENTION OF THE AUDIENCE. I VENTURE THE OPINION THAT YOUR FEELING THAT YOU MADE – WELL NOT A GOOD SPEECH – WAS BECAUSE YOU SPENT THE MAJOR PORTION OF YOUR TIME EXPLAINING THE POSITION IN WESTERN EUROPE AND YOU YOURSELF HAVE BECOME A LITTLE JADED. [/] 4. COMMUNISM. KEEP IT GOING AND BELT IT HARD. IT’S FINE TO SEE THE LEADERS OF UNIONS PUBLICLY AGREEING WITH YOU, DOUBTING WHETHER IT WISE TO OUTLAW THE COMMUNISTS BUT APPLAUDING THE PRINCIPAL. AT LAST WE HAVE ONE PLANK WE CAN STICK TO. [/] THERE ARE ASPECTS OF THE MELBOURNE MEETING THAT MUST NOT BE REPEATED AND WHEN I TELL YOU NUMBER 1. YOU PROBABLY WILL LAUGH AND SAY IT IS STUNTING. WELL IF IT IS STUNTING, IT IS VERY EFFECTIVE STUNTING; I CALL IT SALESMANSHIP. [/] THE ORGANIST PLAYED SOFT MUSIC, THE MUSIC ITSELF BEING ABOVE THE PEOPLE; ONE ITEM COULD EASILY HAVE BEEN THE DEAD MARCH. MARTIAL AIRS ARE REQUIRED. “THERE’LL ALWAYS BE ENGLAND”, AND SUCH LIKE GEORGE FORMBY – “THERE’LL BE NO PROMOTION THIS SIDE OF THE OCEAN” ETC. AND LILTING HAPPY MUSIC. GET THE PEOPLE STIRRED, PLAY UPON THE EMOTIONS, GET THEM INTO A HAPPY FRAME OF MIND. I VENTURE TO SAY THAT YOUR RECEPTION ON MONDAY NIGHT WOULD HAVE BEEN, AS MAGNIFICENT AS IT WAS, INCREASED ENORMOUSLY IF THERE HAD BEEN A LITTLE “STAGE MANAGING”. I DON’T KNOW WHO TO APPEAL TO IN THIS REGARD – CLELAND MAY BE. IF YOU CARE TO ADVISE ME, I WILL DO IT PROMPTLY. [/] BOB, FOR THE LORD’S SAKE, DON’T LET US HAVE ANOTHER SPICER. HE PUT YOU, BY HIS SARCASTIC REFERENCES TO THE PRIME MINISTER, CALDWELL ETC. AND THE GENERAL TENOR OF HIS SPEECH, SO FAR BEHIND SCRATCH THAT I WONDERED WHETHER YOU WOULD EVER MAKE THE TAPE. THIS TOUR OF YOURS IS NOT AN INTENSE POLITICAL TOUR IN WHICH ONE VILIFIES HIS POLITICAL OPPONENT TO THE GREATEST POSSIBLE EXTENT; IT IS YOUR “REPORT TO THE NATION”, LET IT REMAIN WITHIN THIS COMPASS, DIGNIFIED AND PROPER. YOU, AS YOU KNOW YOURSELF I AM SURE, ARE ENHANCING YOUR PRESTIGE BY KEEPING THE MEETINGS ON THIS PLANE, AND IF YOU HAVE A REPETITION OF SPICER TACTICS IN SYDNEY, IT WILL DEPRECIATE THE VALUE OF YOUR MEETINGS BY 50%. AT THE SAME TIME, I AM SURE NO EXCEPTION WILL BE TAKEN, IN FACT TO THE CONTRARY, IF YOU GIVE EVATT A COUPLE OF SMACKS ON THE JAW. [/] PLEASE TELL THE PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MEETING IN SYDNEY, WHAT HAPPENED HERE. [/] I AM AFRAID I CANNOT BE IN EITHER SYDNEY OR BRISBANE WHILST YOU ARE THERE. I WOULD, HOWEVER, LIKE VERY MUCH TO SEE YOU BEFORE YOU GO. PERHAPS YOU MAY BE FREE FOR LUNCH ONE DAY OR PERHAPS YOU MIGHT FIND TIME TO RELAX FOR AN HOUR ON SUNDAY MORNING IN THE GARDEN AT NO. 9 EDZELL AVENUE; IT IS LOOKING LOVELY AT PRESENT. BRING WITH YOU “YOUR CHARMING COMPANION OF THE YEARS” AND OR HEATHER AND KEN. YOU WILL LET ME KNOW IF EITHER PROPOSALS FIT IN WITH YOUR ENGAGEMENTS. [/] I PROMISE NOT TO TALK TO YOU, I PROMISE NOT TO TELL YOU WHAT YOU SHOULD DO. I DO NOT, HOWEVER, PROMISE NOT TO ENDEAVOUR RID YOU OF INHIBITIONS PREVIOUSLY HELD IN CHECK WHICH NOW SEEM TO BE INFLUENCING. [/] NERVOUS OF YOURSELF; ROT, ELIMINATE IT. NERVOUS BEFORE MAKING A SPEECH; NATURAL, PREVIOUSLY WAS FOR A FEW HOURS NOT DAYS AS YOU TOLD ME THE OTHER NIGHT. BOB, YOU HAVE THE BALL AT YOUR FEET; NEVER BEFORE HAVE YOU BEEN SO HIGH IN THE ESTIMATION OF THE PEOPLE, NEVER BEFORE ARE THE PEOPLE EXPECTING SO MUCH FROM YOUR LEADERSHIP AS IN THESE DESPERATE DAYS. GO FORWARD, CONFIDENT IN YOUR OWN ABILITY, WHICH YOU HAVE, TO ACHIEVE YOUR AMBITION (AND INCIDENTALLY, MINE) AND DON’T LET ANYTHING BEAT YOU, PARTICULARLY YOURSELF. [/] IF I DO NOT SEE YOU BEFORE YOU GO, YOU KNOW I WISH YOU WELL AND THAT I WILL BE FOLLOWING THE TOUR WITH GREAT INTEREST. [/] CHEERIO, AND WITH MY KINDEST REGARDS, YOURS SINCERELY”; [signed] Gordon.