 The first accredited diplomat sent by Australia to any foreign country was R. G. (Richard Gavin Gardiner, although usually known by the two initials) Casey, appointed to Washington in January 1940.The U.S. Embassy opened in Canberra in 1943, constructed in a Georgian architectural style.In 1908, Prime Minister Alfred Deakin invited the Great White Fleet to visit Australia during its circumnavigation of the world.