General papers, 1939-1942

Component identifier:

Subseries 43-1

Content Summary:

The material in this subseries consists basically of letters written to the Attorney-General, and copies of the subsequent correspondence - usually beginning with a letter from Hughes' secretary Malcolm Booker to the Department Secretary. This correspondence refers to the use of the National Security Regulations against individuals such as Thomas Ratcliffe and organisations such as the Jehovah's Witnesses, to the search of homes and the confiscation of literature, and to the imprisonment of Mrs P. Johnston. The main correspondents are unions, branches of the Australian Labor Party, and the Australian Council for Civil Liberties.

Letters containing allegations of 'subversion' or examples of 'subversive' literature that were forwarded by Hughes of his secretary to the Department Secretary are also in this subseries. It also has minutes from Sir George Knowles and J. G. Castieu about subjects like the powers of sentries to fire on or arrest suspected persons, patent and copyright legislation, government employees engaged in communist activities, the National Security (Land Transfer) Regulations, and moratorium legislation. Hughes' several Letters Patent commissioning him as Attorney-General are also located here.

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)

Contents

Access and use