My telegram 1237. [1]

1. Last night joint United States-British planning staffs worked
again on [proposed ][2] 'letter of instructions'. Most important
matters discussed were as follows.

2. It is now proposed that geographical limits of the South-west
Pacific theatre should be a line roughly north and south to
westward of and including Burma, Malaya, Sumatra thence to about
Onslow on Western Australian coast, thence [north] easterly round
the Australian coast, (but excluding the mainland of Australia
altogether) [to] Cape York, thence in a northerly direction along
the boundary between Dutch New Guinea and Papua and Mandated
Territory of New Guinea and northward to equator, thence roughly
north-west (to north-east of the Philippines) to the coast of
China.

3. Above means that instead of a portion of Northern Australia
being included in the theatre, the whole continent of Australia
and the Australian half of New Guinea is proposed to be excluded.

This means that all of the forces in Australia and Australian New
Guinea would be under Australian command and not under the supreme
commander.

4. It is suggested, however, that all the forces in Australia that
may be designated or allotted to or in support of the South-west
Pacific theatre should be under general strategic control of the
supreme commander.

5. It is further proposed that the area which includes Australian
New Guinea, Bismarck Archipelago, Solomon Islands, New Hebrides,
New Caledonia and Fiji should be within 'Australian area', that is
excluded from South-west Pacific theatre and also excluded from
area in Pacific for which United States fleet based at Honolulu is
responsible.

6. In the absence of specific instructions from you (which I
realise in the circumstances you have had no opportunity of
sending me) I am basing my representations on the viewpoint
expressed in Prime Minister's Dept. telegrams No. 153 [3] and 154
[4], to the effect that Australian Naval and Air resources are
quite insufficient to enable Australia to maintain effective
control over area mentioned in paragraph 5 above.

7. There are other suggested amendments of [lesser] importance to
above which I will deal with later.

8. You should know that all matters in connection with unifi[ed]
command in South-west Pacific theatre are being worked out between
United States and British staffs only. I am not in any way in on
the discussions, nor is anyone else connected with any Government
other than those of United States and Britain. I am keeping myself
as closely informed as possible through British and American
sources and information that I have sent you in this and preceding
telegrams is not (I have every reason to believe) available to
anyone else outside British and American staffs actually involved
in discussions.

9. In view of importance of matters in this telegram (particularly
paras. (5) and (6) above) I am venturing to put forward views in
para. (6) both to American and British on authority of P.M.

telegram 153 and telegram 154, but am making it clear that, until
I have specific instructions from you, I am doing so in a personal
way. My belief is that it is important to have this matter brought
to notice while 'letter of instructions' is in formative stage.

10. In accordance with Churchill's original telegram to Prime
Minister [5] on Unified Command proposals you would have had no
knowledge of the proposed content of 'letter of instructions'
until they were fully agreed upon between Britain and America when
they would be more difficult to have altered. [6]