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Bookplate inserted; signed in blue ink on front endpaper: “R.G. Menzies from L.S. Amery, July 1947”; also includes typed letter from Amery to Menzies dated 2 July 1947: “My dear Menzies, I enclose herewith a little book which I am bringing out on the subject of the Constitution, I think it may interest you, both for the analysis of the essential principles of that Constitution, and also for the summary of Commonwealth relations to date. I have from time to time I think sent you some of my pessimistic prognostications about the impending economic crisis here. I fear they erred if anything on the side of optimism and that we are going to be confronted by a pretty desperate situation early next year. I doubt very much whether anything will come of Marshall’s suggestions, even if there is going to be American help for Europe it will not be sufficient to see us through here. Our only chance lies in breaking completely away from the American policy of non-discrimination and making such bilateral bargains as we can with those who are content to be paid in British goods for their produce, first and foremost by the rest of the empire and secondly by other countries who are prepared to deal with us on a mutual basis irrespective of precise price levels. In that plight we shall need all that Australia can send us and will I hope by then have the sense to come to long-term preferential agreements which would justify an expansion of Australian output and an increased flow of migration. I am by no means sure that the present discussions over European re-construction will not finally put an end to all illusions about the possibility of co-operation between Western Europe and Russia and her satellites. The danger then will be if Western Europe fails to recover that there may be serious attempts by the Communist in countries like France and Italy to seize control with Russian support and that might well precipitate intervention on the parts of the United States and ourselves. Yours ever [signed] LS Amery.”