In 1946 the government agreed to the establishment of a literary fund to support writing and publishing in New Zealand. J. C. Beaglehole, who at the time was chief historian in the Historical Branch of the Department of Internal Affairs, responded enthusiastically to the announcement of the fund. In this memorandum he outlined some of the forms of support he would like to see. It gives a good sense of the hopes of a significant public intellectual during these years. The fund was formally established in 1947.