Cablegram unnumbered LONDON, 15 February 1938, 4.36 p.m,
MOST SECRET HIMSELF
The Prime Minister most appreciative of your message of 12th
February [1] and asked me to convey to you his sincere thanks.
With his concurrence I am now discussing the position with the
individual United Kingdom Ministers concerned. [2]
BRUCE
1 Document 125. Bruce saw U.K. Prime Minister Chamberlain on 14
February.
2 Bruce had talks with Sir Maurice Hankey (Secretary of the
Committee of Imperial Defence) on 15 February; Sir Thomas Inskip
(Minister for Co-ordination of Defence) on 3 March; Malcolm
MacDonald (Dominions Secretary) on 15 March; Sir Horace Wilson
(Chief Industrial Adviser to U.K. Government) on 21 March; Leslie
Hore-Belisha (Secretary for War) on 28 March; and Sir Robert
McLean (Chairman of Vickers (Aviation) Ltd) on 7 April. In each
case he stressed the urgency of rearmament, particularly with
respect to air defence, and advocated that this should have
priority over financial considerations. See AA : AA1970/556 item
6(1).
[AA : A463, 57/1535]
