The Lapstone Experiment and the Beginnings of Asio

Not nearly enough is known about the events which led to the establishment of the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) or its early operations.1 One crucial event was the clandestine experiment conducted by the Chifley Government during the conference of the UN Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East (ECAFE) held at the Lapstone Hotel near Glenbrook in the Blue Mountains during the fortnight commencing on 29 November 1948. That experiment generated two contrasting reports one by Robert Hemblys Scales of the MI5 section of the UK War Office, and the other by John Burton, Secretary of the Department of External Affairs (DEA). Both reports are available in the Australian Archives.2 Neither has so far attracted much attention. This article

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• An aspect of post‐war Australian relations with the United Kingdom and the United States

  Frank Cain•Australian Historical Studies•1989

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