ward did not present any direct evidence of his claims at the time, and menzies, along with all the ministers that had served under him during the previous government, denied the allegation. at an advisory war council meeting in december 1942, menzies, among others, expressed concern that a responsible minister was making claims that could only be disproved through the disclosure of secret defence plans. curtin did little to quell ward's attacks, and ward continued to claim that menzies and fadden were responsible for the "defeatist" and "treacherous" plan. public awareness of the alleged plan was raised when general douglas macarthur referred to it during a press conference in march 1943, during which he coined the term 'brisbane line'. ward repeated his assertions over the following months, and when asked to provide proof, claimed that he had been informed of the removal of documents relating to the plan from the official files.