From Naval Attache [1] for Chief of Naval Staff. [2] TROPIC No. 6.

Various proposals have been put forward by the U.S. Chief of Naval
Operations [3] regarding the transfer of portion of the U.S.

Pacific Fleet to the Atlantic.

2. These proposals vary from the transfer of a force comprising
three battleships, four light cruisers, and two squadrons of
destroyers-(this force is nearly equal to the force to be
transferred after the U.S. enters war, see ABC-1 [4], Annex 3,
paragraph 57) to the transfer of a large proportion of the Pacific
Fleet.

3. These suggestions are now being examined by the U.K. Chiefs of
Staff in the light of the present situation and in relation to
certain hypothetical movements of British Naval forces; doubtless
you will be consulted before any concurrence is given to the
serious weakening of U.S.-British forces in a possible Eastern
theatre of war.

4. It has already been decided to move one U.S. aircraft carrier
and five destroyers from the Pacific to the Atlantic to replace
U.S.S. 'Ranger' who is due for long refit.

5. Although the strategical soundness of some of these proposals
is very much open to question, they do at least show a refreshing
tendency on the part of the U.S. Naval authorities to get away
from the conception of keeping a large fleet based on Hawaii
carrying out the half-hearted role of attempting to contain the
Japanese fleet by its mere presence. My TROPIC No. 3 [5] 'refers.

6. One must assume that the movements envisaged above, together
with the plan outlined in my Tropic No. 5 [6] are not only
designed to give as much practical aid to us as possible within
the limits of present non-belligerency, but will also have the
effect of increasing considerably the chances of some incident
which might easily hasten the entry of the U.S. into the war.