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HIGH COMMISSION HOUSE,
MILNERTON,
CAPE TOWN.

April 22 / 35

My dear Buchan,

It's ages since we met, but I do want to
send you a line to say how delighted I was to
see that you are the next Gov. Gen. in Canada.
As you may know, I spent 6 years there as High
Commissioner & only left last Sept^r. I am particularly
pleased about yr. appointment because I felt -
& as occasion offered have advocated - that the
time had come to make a change from the
traditional field of selection. This is no reflection
on yr. many predecessors in office. Canada, as you
know, has been singularly fortunate in her
G.G.s & no doubt a return shd. often be made
to that particular class, but the G.G-ship, like
most other things at most other times, is in a
phase of transition, & perhaps just now a
rather critical phase. Granted that a change
shd. be made, my particular desideration was a
change to someone like yourself who has a cultural