South Pacific Commission correspondence and other papers, 1948-1973

Component identifier:

Series 7

Content Summary:

At the end of 1948 Forsyth became the first Secretary-General of the South Pacific Commission (SPC) which had been established under an agreement signed, at Canberra on 6 February 1947, by representatives of the governments which administered the territories in the Pacific. The Commission's role was technical and research oriented with a focus on health, education, agriculture and economic developments. Papers in this series cover the establishment of the Headquarters at Noumea, the setting up of administrative machinery, the development of work programs and reporting mechanisms and the role of the Research Council. A full account and description of these years is contained in 'The Evatt years' (Series 15).

The correspondents include John Kerr, Laurence McIntyre, Guy Harriott, E.W.P. Chinnery, Ron Webb, K.C.O. Shann, J.K. Murray, Alfred Brookes, H.E. Maude, Howard MacMillan, E. Massal, Trevor Pyman, Baas Becking, Peter Heydon, John Burton, John Gunther, Felix Keesing, James Plimsoll, Sir Frederic Eggleston, Alistair McIntosh, J.G. Crawford and J.R. Halligan.

Immediate source of acquisition:

The papers were donated to the Library in several small instalments during the 1970s and 1980s and one large instalment after Forsyth's death in March 1993.

Contents

Access and use