MS Acc01.114 comprises correspondence, minutes, reports, diaries, cuttings, printed material relating to Griffith's work for the Commonwealth Government, his writings on foreign affairs, and his activities in retirement. There are also extensive research materials gathered when writing a thesis on Zimbabwe and Namibia (12 cartons).
The Acc08.077 instalment includes certificates and invitations, papers relating to Griffith's book Conflict and resolution: peace-building through the ballot box in Zimbabwe, Namibia and Cambodia, including reviews and correspondence, other articles about Griffith, and obituaries and the funeral service program (1 box).
Public servant, consultant and writer. Allan Thomas Griffith was born at Toogoolawah, Queensland in 1922 and grew up in Jimna, near Brisbane, before winning a scholarship to attend Brisbane's Church of England Grammar School. During World War II Griffith joined the RAAF and served in New Guinea and Borneo. Following the war he graduated from the University of Melbourne with honours in political science, and worked briefly in the Department of Defence before joining the Prime Minister's Department in 1952. During the 1960s and 1970s he worked in the Department's external relations branch, becoming a first assistant secretary, 1970-1978. Between 1978 and1982 he was special advisor of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. He became foreign policy adviser to Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser for whom he developed policies on decolonisation, aid and trade, and was involved in the Zimbabwe peace settlement which helped to end the Rhodesian War. In retirement Griffith undertook master's studies at Oxford where his thesis, "Democratic legislation in Zimbabwe and Namibia" won the 1993 University of Oxford thesis prize. Griffith's book based on his thesis was published a few days after his death. In 1979 Griffith was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for public service. Griffith died in Melbourne in 1998.
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