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The office staff, consisting of the Official Secretary, the Assistant Official Secretary, an office-assistant, and one stenographer, remain unchanged. 5. New Zealand Embassy, United States of America The increasing importance of the work of this post is reflected in the raising of its status to an Embassy. Sir Carl Berendsen, who has been New Zealand Minister to the United States since 1944,; became New Zealand's first Ambassador when he presented his credentials to President Truman on 1 December, 1948. Contemporaneously the United States Legation was raised to the status of an Embassy, the first to be established in Wellington. The Prime Minister (the Right Hon. P. Fraser) visited the Embassy in January, 1949, on his return from the third session of the General Assembly in Paris and the Commonwealth Conference in London: During his stay in Washington Mr Fraser met President Truman and had discussions with Robert A. Lovett, Acting Secretary of State J During the year under review heavy demands were made on the staff of the Embassy to represent the Government at international conferences both inside and outside the United States. The following conferences are among those which have been attended by the Ambassador or members of the staff: the second special session of the General Assembly which was concerned with the problem of Palestine, the adjourned part of the second session and the third and fourth sessions of the Trusteeship Council, the Interim Committee of the General Assembly, all of which meetings took place at United Nations Headquarters; the Far Eastern Commission and its committees, which meet regularly once a week in Washington ; the special session of the Food and Agriculture Organization, of which Sir Carl Berendsen was elected Chairman ; the Special Committee on Non-self-governing Territories in Geneva in September, 1948 ; and the third regular session of the General Assembly in. Paris. Regular fortnightly meetings of the heads of British Commonwealth Missions in Washington were attended by the Ambassador and reports were forwarded to Wellington. Many of the meetings enumerated above were of lengthy duration and greatly increased the work of the Embassy. The Embassy has continued to keep the Department informed about important developments in the United States and upon special issues from time to time. Where a matter is particularly urgent and important it is covered by telegraphic reporting, but normally general information is contained in the regular report on current events which is despatched once a fortnight. The general work of the Embassy was concerned with reporting on United States legislation, forwarding copies of Acts and congressional reports, answering