Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

(Due to arrive Melbourne 21.3.25)

My dear P.M.,

A point that I thought it as well not to put in the paragraph in
the official letter going to you on the subject of the Protocol
[1] by this mail was the following fact, which I think is a little
significant.

There were at least two influential members of the C.I.D. who
stated at today's meeting that as long as we turned down the
Protocol before the March meeting of the Assembly of the League,
it did not then matter if the subject of European security was not
dealt with for possibly 12 months. This brought Mr. Austen
Chamberlain [2] to his knees in horror as he pointed out with much
vehemence that the absence of any indication by this country as to
what she was going to do to help promote European security was
making the daily conduct of his business with foreign Ambassadors
extremely and increasingly difficult, and that it would be
embarrassingly so if he were not able to give any hint or lead as
to what we proposed to do for 12 months.

However, I expect that from a political point of view it would be
extremely delicate for the Cabinet in any Dominion to have to
bring before its Parliament just before an election the question
as to whether or not that Dominion should put its name to some
sort of document or pact, whereby it would bind itself to send
troops abroad in defence of the security of France and Great
Britain when certain circumstances arose in the future threatening
that security.

As you will see in my other official letter going to you by this
mail, New Zealand and Australia have their General Elections
approximately at the end of this year, and the other three
Dominions not until 1927 or after.

It would therefore seem to me that there is considerable benefit
to New Zealand and Australia (and possibly to Canada if she has an
early election this year) in postponing any definite consideration
of this sort until 1926. It would not matter very much to the
other three Dominions as their elections are far enough ahead to
make it immaterial to them when it is considered.

I say this now as you may think it worth while to use your
influence to have the subject not definitely discussed until 12
months from now. [3]

I am, Yours sincerely,
R. G. CASEY