Extracts from a letter from Thomas J. Kiernan to Seán Nunan (Dublin)
(D/22)

The new Minister for External Affairs, Mr. R.G. Casey, was Australian Minister in Washington from 1940 till 1942; and Minister of State Resident in the Middle East and Member of the British War Cabinet in 1942-43. He was Governor of Bengal from 1944 to 1946.

[matter omitted]

He is not interested in Ireland. In that he represents the average Australian; but, in addition, he is a full Britisher; and at one period of his career hoped to continue in some high British appointment and possibly to follow Lord Bruce¹ into the House of Lords.

[matter omitted]

He made a slight reference to the delay in appointing an ambassador to Dublin and I did not express any curiosity or urgency, merely saying that it was a matter for the Minister himself and that the man appointed would be fortunate getting such a pleasant post.

The day after I called on the Minister to welcome him to his new post, I met Mr. Menzies² at a party to welcome the new Canadian High Commissioner ³ and he said that Casey had had a very interesting conversation with me and was considering a suitable nomination for the post in Dublin.

I had previously told Senator O’Sullivan⁴ that Archbishop Duhig ⁵ had made me aware of the conversation between him and Mr. Menzies and Senator O’Sullivan but that I could not express any interest beyond hoping that the Embassy in Dublin would be suitably filled as soon as possible.

One of the assistant secretaries of the Department of External Affairs has since told me that the Department is anxious to have Dr. Wynes⁶ back in Canberra as he is really the Department’s Legal Adviser, being also one of the assistant secretaries; and that the Secretary of the Department ⁷ is pressing the Minister to appoint an ambassador so that Wynes can be recalled and a junior secretary or two left in Dublin.