Subject files, 1919-1941

Component identifier:

Series 32

Content Summary:

Between Hughes' political demise in 1923 and the outbreak of World War II, a number of broad areas of public policy held his attention and tapped his organising instincts. This series has papers on a number of these policy areas, particularly defence. Others such as federal policy on arbitration and to the League of Nations are covered, in part, by the next three series. The present series has been divided into two sub-series, the first being on defence, the second concerning 14 other policy areas, events or subjects.

Aside from his ministerial duties, Hughes gave close attention during the 1930s to the drift of international events towards war. In his view, there was a consequent need for Australia to rebuild her defence following the neglect of the 1920s and the impotence of the League of Nations to prevent the one thing more than anything else it was established to prevent. '70,000 men needed to keep 7,000,000 free' was one of his slogans, and as President of the Defence of Australia League (established in 1933) and later as Chairman of a Cabinet subcommittee on recruiting he attempted to recruit them. Re-equipping of the Royal Australian Air Force was also advocated.

Immediate source of acquisition:

The W. M. Hughes Papers were presented to the National Library of Australia by Dame Mary Hughes in 1953. The collection was received in two consignments. One consisted of papers taken from the Perpetual Trustee Company comprising material from Hughes' Lindfield home and from his office rooms at the Commonwealth Offices, Sydney; the other came directly from Lindfield. Lists of the contents of both consignments are held in the Library's Manuscript Branch. With the agreement of the executors and the Library, much of the collection, was for a time, held at the Australian National University by Fitzhardinge. He was permitted sole access to the collection while writing the biography Hughes commissioned in 1951. Fitzhardinge's own papers documenting the writing of the biography are also held by the Library (MS 5400). The papers transferred to the Library in 1953 are by no means the total collection of Hughes' personal papers, although it is impossible to say what proportion has survived. (see Fitzhardinge, p.936).

Names:

Hughes, W. M. (1862-1952)

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