At the beginning of March Phelan returned to England and his work at the Ministry of Labour where he headed a think-tank dealing with 'foreign questions'. In the Autumn of 1918 he suggested that the Ministry should formulate a policy position for the anticipated peace treaties.
At the beginning of March, Phelan returned to England and resumed his work at the Ministry of Labour where he led a think tank focused on 'foreign affairs'. Later in 1918, he proposed that the Ministry develop a plan for how they would respond to the expected peace agreements.