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White House Statement on the Death of Australian Prime Minister Curtin
July 4, 1945
It is with deep sorrow that I have learned of the death today of the Right Honorable John Curtin, Prime Minister of Australia, who has brought to the public service of his country not only great ability and integrity but also a deep sense of loyalty to the principles which have guided the United Nations through this war so victoriously ended in Europe and so successfully being waged in the Far East. The government and people of the United States mourn with the people of Australia the passing of this great leader.
Daily News (July 5, 1945)
John Curtin dies
CANBERRA – John Curtin, Prime Minister of Australia, died peacefully in his sleep this morning. He was 60.
Death of the plain Australian who had led Australia through her darkest years to the dawn of victory was announced by Acting Prime Minister Forde. “The life of the Prime Minister came to an end peacefully and without pain in his sleep at 4 a.m. today," Mr. Forde said.
Apart from the nurse who was on duty at the Lodge, Mrs. Curtin was the last person to see Mr. Curtin alive.
Shortly before midnight, she had a cup of tea with him. With a smile, he then said to her: “Go on, Mrs. Curtin, it’s best that you go off to bed now."
Mrs. Curtin went to bed in an adjoining room but did not sleep. She was with the Prime Minister when the last moments came but he died without waking.
In the early hours before dawn, Mr. Curtin’s medical adviser was summoned to the Lodge by the nurse. But Mr. Curtin was dead.
Sergt. John Curtin, the Prime Minister’s only son, was at the Lodge. Mr. Curtin’s only daughter Elsie (Mrs. J. Cole), who is in Perth, was informed by telephone early this morning.
Mrs. Cole was to have left Perth for Canberra by a Service plane early today but, when the news came of her father’s death, the flight was cancelled.
Originally Mrs. Cole was to have left by tomorrow’s mail plane but news from Canberra yesterday caused plans for the earlier departure.
Says goodnight
Few people were allowed to see the Prime Minister over the closing days.
Mr. Ray Tracey, who has been chauffeur to every Prime Minister since the last war and who was Mr. Curtin’s invariable billiards opponent when the Prime Minister was living alone at the Lodge, was one of the last when he went to the Prime Minister’s bedroom to say goodnight.
“How are you, Ray?" Mr. Curtin asked. Then he added: “I’ve had a tough day today."
Mr. Curtin then smiled, bade Tracey goodnight.
Governor-General the Duke of Gloucester, who is visiting operational areas, will return to Canberra immediately.
News was also flashed to General MacArthur, who had become a firm friend of Mr. Curtin.
Efforts are being made by the government to inform External Affairs Minister Dr. Evatt, who was scheduled to leave San Francisco by ship on Tuesday.
Mr. Curtin is the second Australian Prime Minister to die in office.
The first was Mr J. A. Lyons, who died in April 1939.
Shock
Though bulletins this week on Mr. Curtin’s health had been ominous, the dramatic radio announcements this morning of his death left listeners shocked and bewildered with a sudden sense of personal loss and tragedy.
Newspaper offices were besieged with telephone calls to confirm the news and throughout the city, conversation was only on one topic – the passing of the man who was the friend of all Australians.
After the first radio announcement at 6 a.m., all commercial broadcasting stations suspended advertising for two hours and played appropriate music with tributes to Mr. Curtin.
Serious illness first overtook Mr. Curtin in November last year, when he had a heart attack brought about by the strain and responsibility of wartime leadership.
He went into Mercy Hospital, Melbourne, where he stayed ten weeks.
Early this year, less than three months after his heart attack, Mr. Curtin resumed his official duties at Canberra and attended the opening of Parliament on February 21.
Appearing to be well on the road to recovery, Mr. Curtin attended practically every sitting of Parliament until near the end of April, when he had a relapse and was admitted to a private hospital in Canberra on April 24 suffering from congestion of the lungs.
He left hospital on May 22 and was at the Prime Minister’s Lodge until his death.
Left school at 14
Mr. Curtin was slightly under six feet in height, with thinning greying hair.
Although he finished schooling at 14, intense study up to 30 left him with an astigmatism of the left eye.
Mr. Curtin’s first job was as “printer’s devil" at 14 on papers produced by the famous Lindsays of Creswick.
Since he entered public affairs, Mr. Curtin travelled about 250,000 miles, but he made only six plane journeys.
He covered Australia scores of times and in 1924 visited Geneva and South Africa and in 1944 went to Britain, the United States and Canada.
Royal sympathy
The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester have sent personal messages of heartfelt sympathy to Mrs. Curtin and her family.
Messages read–
From the Duke:
I am deeply distressed to hear of your bereavement. I feel it as a personal loss to myself and a shattering blow to Australia and the Empire. My sincerest and heartfelt sympathy.
From the Duchess: “I send my heartfelt sympathy to you and your family in your great sorrow.”
Balikpapan’s heart falls to 7th Division
By War Correspondent Harry Potter
Elements of the 7th Division have seized the central town area of Balikpapan and are steadily enveloping the Pandansari oil refineries in the northern section of the city.
Gen. MacArthur’s communiqué today also discloses that troops which secured the Sepinggan airfield have pushed a further two miles east of that point, thus widening our original beachhead of 2,400 yards to more than eight miles.
It would be difficult to visualise a scene of such hopeless desolation as that which confronted our troops when they raced from surrounding ridgetops into the centre of the stricken city of Balikpapan.
On either side of the city’s main road artery there is an almost unbroken line of gutted buildings and installations. Huge refining and storage tanks have been distorted into fantastic shapes as if they have been torn into shreds by some giant cutting instruments.
The terrific heat of fire added the final stage of destruction to the ruins which our naval and air bombardment had made in the greater part of the city.
In this raging inferno, metals had melted like butter in the scorching sun. I saw huge ships’ anchors nearly a foot in diameter twisted into hairpin shapes.
Balikpapan is a sorry mess and a nightmare to those who will have the responsibility of its rebuilding.
Bitterly and fiercely as the Japs had fought to keep us from it, the Japs finally surrendered the city itself almost without a fight.
Their capacity for taking punishment had evidently been exhausted, for they cleared, leaving behind them piles of ammunition and weapons including business-like dual ack-ack guns, which are among the best weapons yet found in the enemy’s possession.
Our assault from the north-west cleared the city from the point at which Pier Seven juts into the bay to the outskirts of Pandansari, while troops moving in from a dominating feature known as Signal Hill, which directly overlooks Balikpapan on the south-east, cleaned out the town area to Pier Four.
We also came at the city from a feature known as the oil tank plateau area, whilst a thrust which reached to the south-east corner of Pandansari was achieved against light but stubborn resistance.
Generally, however, the main danger for our troops was from dual 20-mm’s.
Directly ahead of the centre of the original landing, we are inland more than 3000 yards, so that in every direction our progress has been remarkable.
Forde acts as PM
CANBERRA – Because of the long illness of Mr. Curtin, the machinery of government will go on without interruption.
Deputy Prime Minister Forde already holds authority from the Governor-General to act as Prime Minister. This ensures the legality of all administrative acts.
Cabinet is meeting today to ascertain whether an interim commission should be issued to Mr. Forde or whether there should be a fresh commission, such as was issued to Sir Earle Page after the death of Mr. Lyons.
Whatever the decision, the commission would be only temporary as Mr. Forde would advise the Governor-General that he would have to meet the Parliamentary Labour Party.
Caucus is not likely to take any steps about future leadership until after Mr. Curtin’s funeral.
Whether the party should await the return of Attorney-General Dr. Evatt from USA before proceeding to the election of a new leader and the filling of the Cabinet vacancy and whether it will decide that all portfolios and offices, such as those of Speaker, President of the Senate and the Chairmen of Committees, should be thrown into the melting pot will be for the party itself to decide.
It is expected that the House of Representatives and the Senate, which are to meet this afternoon, will adjourn immediately.
Instructions were issued immediately after Mr. Curtin died that flags should be flown at half-mast from all Commonwealth buildings throughout Australia.
Editorial: John Curtin
All victims of war are not battle casualties.
It is no exaggeration to say that the deaths of President Roosevelt and Prime Minister John Curtin were attributable largely to the strain of war conditions and the heavy burdens thrown upon them.
Whatever their political colour, few will dispute that Australia owes much to John Curtin. There will be widespread and deep grief at the news of his untimely death.
John Curtin became Prime Minister at a critical stage of the war without a secure majority. The subsequent general election was an overwhelming vote of confidence in his government and a great tribute to him personally.
That tribute has been justified by the firm and farsighted leadership of John Curtin when Australia was threatened with invasion for the first time in her history. It was justified by the dignity and ability with which he represented his country in council with the leaders of great nations.
A lovable personality was John Curtin the man. He disliked all ostentation and shunned social display. He was armoured with impregnable integrity.
Yes, a great debt is owed to John Curtin. Let us not forget it.
Death broke a compact
Death has severed a compact made between the late Prime Minister and Gen. Douglas MacArthur.
When Gen. MacArthur landed in Australia in 1942 after his heroic defence of the Philippines, a close friendship arose between him and the Prime Minister.
They made a compact that when the war was over and the Philippines regained their independence, the Prime Minister would spend a holiday there as the guest of the General.
This was revealed today by a close personal friend of Mr. Curtin.
Jap links blasted
CHUNGKING – Communiqués reveal that China-based American fliers have blasted Japanese communications along the vast 1000-mile aerial front from the Yellow River to Indochina while the Chinese have posed a new threat to Kweilin.
Medium-sized Chinese forces battled towards Kweilin from the west while the main armies advancing from the south-west reached Chungtu, 60 miles away.
LONDON – Field Marshal Montgomery is confined to his bed with a slight touch of tonsilitis, according to the Associated Press man at headquarters.
Curtin passes away
LISBON (Domei, July 4) – John Curtin, Australia’s Labour Prime Minister, passed away early Thursday morning after a protracted illness due to congestion of the lungs, according to a Canberra dispatch. He was 60 years old. It is expected that Francis Forde, Army Minister, who has been Acting Prime Minister, will now lead the Australian government.
2 U.S. destroyers lost
LISBON (Domei, July 4) – The United States Navy Department today disclosed that the American destroyers Twiggs and William D. Porter were sunk by Japanese air action off Okinawa last month and that “heavy casualties” were sustained in the loss of the Twiggs, according to a Washington dispatch.
Kyushu raided
FUKUOKA (Domei) – Twenty-five B29s Tuesday night flying in from the Bungo Channel carried out scattered raids on Kyushu. Our air defence units intercepting the enemy raiders over the Kammon sector shot down one super-fort and heavily damaged four others.