The Great Betrayal: Britain, Australia And The Onset Of The Pacific War, 1939-42
Reviewed by Peter Grose
A young Australian historian reconstructs Britain's wartime attempt to extract maximum help from Australia while assuring it of continued British protection. The British, hard pressed and partly self-deluded, deceived the Australians who still indulged in colonial attitudes of dependency and convenient passivity. A gripping work, based on much new material, casting a critical light on Churchill in particular and suffused with a controlled anger at Australian collusion in Britain's dismissive attitude. A major contribution to several neglected fields, including Australia's own relentless racism. Harsh, persuasive and important.
