Ministers, Mandarins and Diplomats

These essays explore the evolution of the Australian Department of External Affairs from its beginnings as a small amateur department to its rise as a highly professional global operation. The relationships between ministers, bureaucrats, and overseas officers are detailed, explaining the role they played in creating Australian foreign policy. Also discussed is the influence of the policies of two leading political figures, Percy Spencer and Richard Casey, whose experience spanned the political and diplomatic services of this period.