Summary heading

 War Cabinet Minute Schedules

Function and purpose

This series contains schedules for the Minute papers considered by the War Cabinet in meetings from 1941 to 1946. The schedules show, among other information, the place and date of the meeting and who was present. Some of the pages are headed “Preparation for War Cabinet Minutes”, indicating that the schedules were to be used to control the process of production of the final typed minutes. The information was evidently compiled after the meetings, as relevant Minute (decision) numbers are included, which were only allocated after the event. There are no schedules extant for meetings before 7 January 1941 (Minute No 676); apparently the procedure of keeping schedules commenced after that date.

Prime Minister Menzies announced the formation of the War Cabinet on 5 September 1939, two days after the outbreak of war with Germany. The Cabinet consisted of Menzies (as Prime Minister and Treasurer), R G Casey (as Minister for Supply), G A Street (as Minister for Defence), Senator G McLeay (as Minister for Commerce), H S Gullett (as Minister for Information) and W M Hughes (as Attorney-General). Membership of the Cabinet was to change over time. The Cabinet was to deal with all matters other than major matters of general policy, however, the War Cabinet increased in authority and stature as the war progressed and became the major decision-making body on the conduct of the war. The meetings were held at Victoria Barracks, Melbourne and in the Cabinet Room at Parliament House, Canberra.

The Advisory War Council was formed on 28 October 1940, following the general election of September of that year, in which Menzies retained power only with the support of two independents. Menzies asked John Curtin, the Labor Opposition Leader, to join a national government. Curtin declined but suggested an Australian War Council, which became the Advisory War Council. The Council constituted members of all parties. The Council’s function was to advise the Government on matters of the defence of the Commonwealth or the execution of the war as were referred to it by the Prime Minister, as well as other related matters.

The War Cabinet Secretariat was formed to provide administrative support to both the War Cabinet and Advisory War Council. This group of public servants included secretaries, stenographers and messengers, and maintained a vast filing system of minutes and agendas. The Secretariat was housed at Victoria Barracks, Melbourne.

 

Related legislation

 

Using the series

The five items in this series represent three sets of schedules, each maintained by different officers. Mr Preston, of the War Cabinet Secretariat, maintained items 1, 2 and 3 and this set is the most complete. Reference copies of these three items are available. Items 4 and 5 are not complete sets, but where the dates correspond, the contents are identical to item 3.

The records may be used to determine which Ministers attended which meetings, although not all schedules name who was present. The series may also be used to determine which Minutes and agenda were discussed at which meetings. More detailed information concerning Minutes and agenda can be found in A2670, Reference set of War Cabinet agenda with Minutes, and A2671, War Cabinet agenda files (see also A2673, War Cabinet minutes, which contains meeting minutes).

Each page of the items consists of columns with the headings Minute No, Agendum No, Subject, Draft Minute prepared, Draft Minute approved, Original copy of letter signed, Action taken as directed on draft, Press statements (if to be issued and date prepared) and Book copy prepared from draft. On most pages, only the first three columns have been completed. Minute numbers have been ticked off, often in red and blue. The date of the meeting has been stamped in the Subject column.

 

Language of material

 English

Physical characteristics

The schedules are either typed carbon copies or handwritten on thin foolscap paper, 21 x 34 cm.

The pages of the first item have one hole punched through the top left corner. This item is now in a pink folder, evidently not its original home as the title, which has been crossed out, reads “Aircraft Production in Australia”. Items 2, 3 and 4 are in hard cover binders that previously had screws in at least two of the possible four holes down the left side (these are no longer present). Item 5 is in an orange file folder for the Department of Defence and the pages are held in place by one metal pin in the top right corner.

The reference copies are on A4 paper, 21 x 29.5 cm. White cotton tape has been used to keep the pages together.

 

System of arrangement and control

The schedules are arranged by date, beginning at 7 January 1941 and ending at 19 January 1946. The first three items cover the full period, but items 4 and 5 cover only 1944 to 1945, and 1944 to 1946, respectively. These sets were maintained by Miss Latham and Mr Phillips, members of the War Cabinet Secretariat, and are not complete. The Archives has imposed single numbers on the five items, as no other control system existed.

 

Relationships with other records

This series contains schedules for decisions (Minutes) made by the War Cabinet. Further information concerning Minutes and related agenda can be found in Series A2670, Reference set of War Cabinet agenda with Minutes and A2671, War Cabinet agenda files. Minutes of War Cabinet meetings (as opposed to submitted Minute papers) appear in A2673, which can be used as a check of who attended meetings and what was discussed. A separate list of Minute subjects can be found in A2674, War Cabinet Minutes index books.

 

Finding aids

All items are accessible via the RecordSearch database as at January 2006. Further information concerning the War Cabinet Secretariat can be found in the agency note for CA 1468.    

 

Access conditions

 

Series history

These records were transferred to the National Archives of Australia in 1972. All items were entered onto RecordSearch at different times since then (largely in 1993). The reference copies for items 1 to 3 were created in 1994, when it became clear that the originals were fragile, and based upon the decision that these items constitute the most complete set of schedules. In 2006, the item titles have been amended slightly, the series description has been revised and all items have been repackaged into acid-free folders and containers.

 

Provenance

 

Immediate source of acquisition

 

Custodial history

 

Quantity in agency custody

 

Disposal history

These records have been designated permanent, under records disposal authority CA46/2, class B.1.6.   

 

Publication note

 

Additional information

 

End notes

 

Sources

Encel, S  1974  Cabinet Government in Australia  Carlton, Victoria: Melbourne University Press

Horner, David  1996  Inside the War Cabinet: Directing Australia’s war effort, 1939-45  St Leonard’s, NSW: Allen & Unwin

Horner, David  2000  Defence Supremo: Sir Frederick Shedden and the making of Australian defence policy  St Leonard’s, NSW: Allen & Unwin

The War Cabinet & Advisory War Council  http://john.curtin.edu.au/behindthescenes/cabinet/

Accessed 6 September 2005

The War Cabinet Secretariat  http://john.curtin.edu.au/behindthescenes/secretariat/index.html

Accessed 6 September 2005

Previous series note for series A2675