MOST IMMEDIATE

Personal for Prime Minister. Secret. Your telegram of yesterday's
date re daily information. [1] In my view there are two sources
from which you should be receiving confidential information.

(i) From United Kingdom Government, and
(ii) From myself
With regard to (i), I have had a long talk with Secretary of State
for Dominion Affairs. [2] I have pointed out to him that Australia
is now abandoned to a war in which she is associated with the
United Kingdom and that there is an obligation upon the United
Kingdom to keep you fully informed confidentially with every
development of importance. This view0 he concurred in and
arrangements have now been made by which one such communication at
least will be sent to you daily embracing all political and
diplomatic news of importance and also giving such information
available as to military [sic] in its widest developments.

I have stressed it to Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs that
these communications themselves, quite irrespective of anything I
may send, should contain information that you could reasonably
expect and that, if after a trial period an examination of
communications show that they do not, further steps to amplify
them must be taken. The first such communication will be sent
today.

With regard to information as to military activities no authentic
information is being provided even to Cabinet Ministers, apart
from War Cabinet, but arrangements have now been made for it to be
made available for the communications referred to above.

With regard to (ii)-I will supplement the information supplied in
official communications, leaving Stirling [3] to a great extent to
cover diplomatic developments by careful perusal of diplomatic
communications, all of which are made available to us.

In connection with military news, I will supplement it to as great
an extent as I feel I justifiably can, bearing in mind that my
sources of information are personal and private contacts with
individual members of Cabinet, and that there is a vital necessity
for secrecy in respect of much of what I learn, which is not even
known to ordinary members of Cabinet.

With regard to the question of allied strategy, I am sending you a
separate cable.

BRUCE