Following for the Prime Minister from Deputy Chairman, Defence
Committee. [1]

Your JOCHU 10. [2] The Defence Committee have given this telegram
earnest consideration while preparing their review on Far Eastern
policy, a summary of which has been telegraphed to you (Dominions
Office telegram M.476 [3]).

2. You have received Duff Cooper's [4] report (Dominions Office
telegram 861 [5]) on the inter-allied conference held at Singapore
on 18th December. Our comments on Part II of this report are being
telegraphed to you separately, (Dominions Office telegram 872
[6]).

3. A complete picture of what we have done to meet immediate
defence requirements in Malaya is set out in the above telegrams.

We are now examining further measures to maintain the flow of men,
aircraft and material to the battle in the Far East.

4. Any judgment of the adequacy of our preparations in the Far
East prior to the Japanese attack must have regard not only to
what was desirable but what was possible in the light of the
limitations of our resources and the demands made upon them.

It would have been strategically unsound to deprive theatres in
which active operations against our principal foes were actually
in progress in order to reinforce a theatre which was not at that
time in the active war area.

5. Any judgment which we may make on the conduct of operations
must await a full report of the facts, which we have not yet
received.