The position of External Affairs Liaison Officer in London was established in late 1924 and was attached to the Department of External Affairs (which remained under the Secretary of the Prime Minister’s Department from 1921 to 1932). Major RG Casey, the first Liaison Officer, was given office accommodation in the British Cabinet Offices in Whitehall and was privy to classified British Cabinet and Foreign Office information. His primary role was to keep the Australian Government informed of important activities and issues arising in the British Government, especially concerning foreign relations.

This series consists primarily of personal and confidential correspondence dating from 1924 to 1929 between Major RG Casey and Prime Minister Stanley Melbourne Bruce, who was also Minister for External Affairs. This direct correspondence between Bruce and Casey is of a more confidential and sensitive nature than the correspondence and reports Casey sent to the External Affairs Department, usually via the Branch’s Director, Dr W Henderson. For several months in 1927, RG Casey and Dr W Henderson exchanged positions, during which time Henderson acted as the External Affairs Liaison Officer in London and Casey acted as the Director of External Affairs in Australia. Consequently, the series also contains some correspondence between Henderson, as External Affairs Liaison Officer, and Prime Minister Bruce.

Many topics are covered in the correspondence including international relations, conflicts, treaties and diplomacy; British-Dominion relations (particularly concerning Australia); League of Nations; disarmament; reparations; trade, industry, and the promotion of ‘Empire products’; Australian shipping and communications; Imperial Conferences; British and Australian politics and appointments of high office; Australian and British press reporting; Imperial defence; Dominion loans; appointment of Dominion Governor-Generals; Communist activities in Britain and Australia; Australian diplomatic postings and arrangements (especially regarding Britain and the establishment of Australian diplomatic representation in the United States); colonial administration in Papua and New Guinea; arrangements for the visit of the Duke and Duchess of York for the opening of Parliament, Canberra, May 1927; other visiting dignitaries to Australia; London Naval Conference; belligerent rights at sea and defence of ports; staffing and arrangements in the Department of External Affairs; Royal Family matters; conferring of knighthoods; exploration of Antarctica; air services between Britain and Australia; and Bruce loosing office in 1929.

The eight files in the series are arranged chronologically and single number control symbols [1]-[8] have been imposed by National Archives. Documents within each file are also arranged chronologically with the earliest dated document at the front of the file and the latest at the back. Each document has been given a chronological number (front to back) pencilled in the top right hand corner. This system of arrangement appears to date from the mid-1960s when Lord Bruce and his personal secretary, Mrs Roberts, reviewed Bruce’s personal papers before they were transferred to National Archives. Some documents have been annotated ‘seen by Lord Bruce in 1964 and/or 1966’.