During Prime Minister Menzies' term there had been one meeting of the War Cabinet in Brisbane. In 1942, after the arrival of American General Douglas
MacArthur in Australia, Prime Minister Curtin's Principle Private Secretary,
Frederick Shedden, established a Brisbane Secretariat to provide a link
between MacArthur’s office and the Defence Department. This Brisbane
office, located on the the fourth floor of the Commonwealth Office Building
in Anzac Square, was staffed by Alistair Adam, an up and coming barrister.
A secraphone link was installed in Adam’s office so that he could
speak directly to Shedden in both Canberra and Melbourne. 1 |
The Australian War Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister
Menzies, meets in Brisbane, 1940. |
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