Keith Officer

Keith Officer trained in law in Melbourne and served as an army staff officer at Gallipoli and on the Western Front. After working in the British Colonial Service in Nigeria, he entered Australia’s external affairs administration. His postings in London and at the League of Nations helped him build the contacts needed by a small diplomatic service. ¹

Attached to the British embassy in Washington as Australian counsellor in 1937, Officer handled commercial discussions while Australia faced American tariff discrimination. After Australia was removed from the relevant blacklist in 1938, he explored prospects for a trade agreement. He joined Richard Casey’s new Australian legation in 1940. ¹

Officer subsequently served in wartime Tokyo, the Soviet Union, and China. He negotiated a peace treaty with Thailand in 1946 and later represented Australia in the Netherlands, China, and France. He retired in 1954. ¹