Confidential and security classified records originally maintained by the Australian War Memorial Library

In 1926 the Australian War Memorial undertook negotiations with the British Government to make British official records available to
an Australian representative. This resulted in the appointment of Mr T.H.E. Heyes as the Memorial's representative attached to the British Historical Section (AWM 93, item 12/1/34). Initially Heyes had difficulty obtaining access to original documents other than war diaries and it was not until August 1926 that he was granted access to all records in the Historical Section except private diaries of prominent officers. The main concern of the British authorities was for the safe custody of their records. The Memorial assured the British that any confidential records would be located in the strongroom and not made available for inspection without approval
from the proper authority. Heyes was asked to draw attention to any records of a confidential nature in his covering letters and these were submitted for a decision and locked in the strongroom. The series AWM 51 began as a result of these events.

Formal procedures for the processing of confidential documents were introduced in "Library Procedure Memorandum No. 4" of 22 January 1926 (see item [A1]). The procedures arose out of a need to locate, control and restrict access for documents of a personal and confidential nature acquired by the Library. The Memorandum states that "publications or other documents which, by reason of their secret or personal nature require to be specially preserved and guarded against improper use or inspection by unauthorised persons, will be placed in the strongroom under the charge of a senior officer working in the Library". The responsibility for locating documents of a confidential nature lay with the officers undertaking re- classification of records. The officer in charge of confidential documents was responsible for drawing the Librarian's or Director's attention to researchers who may be helped by being given access to the documents. The Director decided whether access should be granted.

The memorandum outlines the procedures to be used for the register of confidential documents (item [A1]). The register has been treated as an accession register for items acquired by the Memorial from various sources and considered at the time to be security classified. Items were given general classification numbers, catalogue numbers and were also entered serially in the register. The first entry recorded in the confidential register is for 17 December 1926. Most of the 105 items registered between 1926 and 1929 originated from Heyes’ work in Britain or other British sources such as the CID (Committee of Imperial Defence), War Office and Admiralty in London. Although Heyes completed his work in August 1927 the confidential documents continued to be separated and registered.

From 1928 the Memorial was called upon to make a periodical check of War Office secret documents held in the strongroom. The Memorial received a list of secret documents from the War Office annually and was required to check the location of each item and complete a certificate on the foot of the schedule. The schedule was then returned to the War Office through the Prime Minister's Department. This procedure continued until 1947.

In general most of the items were only made available to the Official Historians, 1914-18 War and 1939-45 War. In some cases more than one copy of the document was made for use by the Official Historians and these duplicates occur throughout the series. The Register records the movement and return of the items to the strongroom.

The series continued to be added to and entered in the Register until November 1957. Items [181] and [182] are not entered on the Register but were incorporated in the series in 1986.

Content

The series contains various unrelated items, separated because of their confidentiality at the time they were received. They include reports, correspondence, army war books, intelligence summaries, transcripts of evidence, instructions, cablegrams, secret telegrams, naval staff monographs, extracts from Admiralty records, memorandums, notes, historical accounts, manuals and orders. Of particular note is item [39A] "The Mitchell Report" on attacks delivered on the Dardenelles Straits and item [182A] the "Webb Report" on Japanese atrocities during the 1939-45 War.

System of arrangement and control

The items are arranged as they were received and registered in the Register of Confidential Documents (item [A1]). They are controlled using a single running number, imposed staff of the Australian War Memorial.

Using the series

In 1985 a decision was made to transfer a number of published items from this series into the War Memorial’s Printed Records Collection. The majority of items transferred were European Secret Telegrams and Naval Staff Monographs. The catalogue number for each item transferred has been recorded as part of the item title to maintain intellectual control over the series even though the items are no longer physically located together. Some personal diaries have also been relocated to the Memorial’s Private Records Collection.

Despite their previous security classifications, all items in this series are now available for use by the public.

Each item in this series is recorded on the RecordSearch database which researchers can access via the internet.

• AWM51 2 - [Confidential and security classified records originally maintained by the Australian War Memorial Library:] Report on operations of 15th Australian Infantry Brigade at Polygon Wood on 24th, 25th, 26th and 27th September 1917 by Brig Gen HE Elliott [includes 7 sketch maps showing position of troops at Polygon Wood]
• AWM51 144 - [Confidential and security classified records originally maintained by the Australian War Memorial Library:] Operations of 8th Australian Division in Malaya, 1941-1942. [Report compiled by Col J H Thyer from the narrative prepared by Col C H Kappe]