Australia’s wartime security was imperilled by the failure of the Franco-British union. The proposal to merge the British and French Empires into a supra-national entity became a short-lived possibility in June 1940. This article examines why Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies unconditionally endorsed the idea. Examining the proposal, and French territories surrounding Australia, demonstrates why Australia was invested in a continued French war effort and had much to gain from its union with Britain. The failure of the Franco-British union in Europe had damaging consequences for distant Canberra, which, unprepared for war, became surrounded by potentially hostile territories.

法英联盟的失败危及澳大利亚的战时安全。将英法帝国合并为一个超国家实体的提议在 1940 年 6 月成为一种短暂的可能性。本文探讨了澳大利亚总理罗伯特·孟席斯为何无条件支持这一想法。审查该提案以及澳大利亚周围的法国领土，说明了为什么澳大利亚投资于持续的法国战争努力，并从与英国的联盟中获益良多。法英联盟在欧洲的失败对遥远的堪培拉造成了破坏性后果，堪培拉没有做好战争准备，被潜在的敌对领土包围。