PM Transcripts

PRIMñ L MD! ISTER
27th July, 1962,
My dear Leslie, I refer to our conversation this afternoon
about your stated and published views on the Common
Market negotiations, You confirmed to me that you had stated your
views, not only in Canberra on Wednesday night but in
Melbourne on Thursday, and that when asked last evening
by the representative of the A. B. C. you had Indicated
that you stood by your statements.
You made it quite clear to me that you were on
these occasions speaking solely for yourself and were
not prompted by any other Minister or, for that matter,
by any official. As I pointed out to you, your estimate that
the impact of British entry into the Common Market would
be of minor importance to the Australian economy runs
counter to the views formulated and expressed by Cabinet
and pursued by Mr. McEwen and myself in two sets of
heavy negotiations overseas this year,
You told me with your usual candour that you
could not honestly retract the views which you had
expressed because they were views which you had held
for some time. I need hardly tell you that I respect your
views and your attitude. But Ministerial responsibility
and Cabinet solidarity are of the essence of our system
of Government. They are always important. They are
no less important when a Government has a narrow majority.
They are supremely important when a Government is engaged
in advocating theo legitimate interests of Australia in a
series of negotiations which we have repeatedly declared
to be the most important in our time.
I cannot allow a state of affairs to continue
in which those of us directly concerned with the negotiations
and with the forthcoming Prime Ministers' Conference can
be met by the argument that our own Government contains
and retains a Minister whose views are not those of the
Cabinet. I am sad about all this as you know. I have
done my best to try to devise some middle course, but I
cannot find one. After all, the very integrity with which
you hold your opinions would make it impossible for you
to change them or to let it be thought that you had done
so, Under all the circumstances, I must, with
unfeigned regret, ask you for your resignation.
Yours sincerely,
The Honourable L. H. E Bury, MI. Po,
Minister for Air,