Series number

AWM263

Series title

The Official History of Australia’s Involvement in Southeast Asian Conflicts 1948 -1975- Crises and commitments and A nation at war - Records of Peter Edwards

Contents date range

1983 -1997

Extent

20.7m

Access conditions

Subject to the Australian Archives Act (1983)

Agency controlling

Australian War Memorial

Custodial agency

Australian War Memorial

Function and provenance

Born in the United Kingdom in 1945, Dr Peter Edwards is a graduate of the University of Western Australia and Oxford University which he attended as a Rhodes Scholar.  Dr Edwards has held appointments at the Australian War Memorial, the Australian Defence Force Academy, Deakin University and the Australian Centre for American Studies.  His publications include, Documents on Australian foreign policy, Vols I-III 1975-79 and Prime Ministers and diplomats, 1983, Crises and commitments, 1992 and A nation at war, 1997.

In February 1983 an Official History Unit (OHU) was established within the Australian War Memorial to produce a series of volumes covering Australia’s involvement in Southeast Asian Conflicts between 1948 and 1975.  At this time Dr Peter Edwards took up his appointment as Official Historian and general editor responsible for overseeing the production of the planned series of histories.

At first a series of seven volumes was planned including two volumes on strategy and diplomacy and one on the home front.  However, as work progressed it became clear that the two topics, diplomacy and the home front, needed to be covered together (Edwards, 1992, p.xi).  As a result two volumes were produced: Crises and commitments, the politics and diplomacy of Australia’s involvement in Southeast Asian conflicts 1948 -1965, published in 1992 and A nation at war, Australian politics, society and diplomacy during the Vietnam War 1965 -1975, published in 1997.

Originally each of the volumes was to be co-authored by Dr Edwards and one of the research officers appointed to the Official History Unit.  Dr Gregory Pemberton and Ms Ann-Mari Jordens assisted Dr Edwards with the research for the volumes on strategy, diplomacy and home front issues and Dr Pemberton was responsible for early drafts of some chapters of Crises and commitments.  This series therefore includes the work of these and other research assistants, including Dr Christopher Waters, Ms Elizabeth Stewart, Dr Kathleen Dermody, Ms Sue Langford,  Dr Craig Wilcox and others, employed by the Official History Unit during the production of the two volumes. 

The material contained in this series was transferred from the Official History Unit to the custody of the Australian War Memorial’s Official Records Section in three consignments. The first consignment, received on 13 October 1994 and accessioned as OW94/10 contained material relating primarily to Crises and commitments, and the subsequent transfers on 8 June 1999 and 29 June 2004 to A nation at war. 

Content

This series contains the working papers and drafts collated by Dr Edwards and his research staff during the production of Crises and commitments and A nation at war. 

The bulk of the series is made up folders containing photocopies of original primary sources and related handwritten notes made by Peter Edwards or the various research assistants employed by the Official History Unit.  Material in these folders includes copies of material from original files created by the Department of External Affairs, The Prime Ministers Department, The Department of Defence and others, Cabinet submissions, newspaper clippings, and photographic material.

The series also includes various drafts of chapters for the two volumes, Crises and commitments and A nation at war.  Some are copies of drafts distributed for comments and the items include these comments and others are copies of the final drafts as sent to the publishers, Allen and Unwin.

System of arrangement and control

The material in this series is controlled by a multiple number system with an alphabetic prefix imposed by the Memorial’s Official History Unit.  The material is divided into six main sections each with an alphabetical prefix.  Each of these sections has then been divided into one or more subsections of related material, and then each item has been given a unique item number and in some cases a number identifying parts of an item.  The list below provides a key to the contents of these sections and subsections.

A/:  Crises and commitments – Drafts

            These are divided into different versions of particular drafts.

B/:  Crises and commitments – Source material,

B/1/: Working notes/research material

B/2/: Newspaper Clippings

B/3/: Photos

C/:  A nation at war – Drafts

            These are further divided into different versions of particular drafts.

           

D/:  A nation at war – Source material, working notes/research material

            D/1/: Working notes/research material

            D/2/: National Service folders

            D/3/: Newspaper clippings

            D/4/: Photos

E/:  Source material for both volumes, working notes/research material

            E/1/: Working notes/research material

            E/2/: Newspaper clippings

F/: Administration

            F/1/: General correspondence

            F/2/: Research cards and file lists

           

Using the series

Each item in this series is recorded on the RecordSearch database which researchers can access via the internet.

Sources

Who’s who in Australia 2004, Catherine De Micheli(ed), Crown Content, North Melbourne, 2004.

Peter Edwards with Gregory Pemberton, Crises and commitments: the politics and diplomacy of Australia’s involvement in Southeast Asian conflicts 1948-1965, Allen and Unwin in association with the Australian War Memorial, North Sydney, 1992

Peter Edwards, A nation at war: Australian politics, society and diplomacy during the Vietnam War 1965-1975, Allen and Unwin in association with the Australian War Memorial, St Leonard’s, 1997

Australian War Memorial administrative file, AWM263 Series Dossier.

AWM170, Australian War Memorial Council and related committee records, [1/169]: Australian War Memorial. 21st Meeting of Council, 29 May 1986 – agenda.

CA7042, Official History of Australia's Involvement in Southeast Asian Conflicts 1948-1975, Agency notes, available online at [9/11/2004] http://naa12.naa.gov.au/scripts/AgencyDetail.asp?M=1&B=CA+7042