Please give the following message to the Prime Minister [1]-
BEGINS. Recent reports from His Majesty's Ambassador at Washington
[2] show a stiffening of United States attitude and suggest
possibility of arranging for some form of concerted reaction to
German-Italian-Japanese Pact.

In recent conversation with His Majesty's Ambassador, Mr. Cordell
Hull [3] threw out the idea of private staff talks between the
United States, United Kingdom, Dominion Governments concerned and
Dutch authorities on the Far East question. We have welcomed this
suggestion and have indicated that we should like these to be held
at the earliest possible date.

His Majesty's Ambassador has been informed that any other
suggestions for coordinated reaction to Japanese-Axis Pact which
the United States Government may feel able to put forward will be
most sympathetically considered here. We share the view, which is
evidently gaining ground among members of the United States
Administration, that any steps taken should be such as would not
increase Japanese pressure on the Dutch (Please see in this
connexion paragraphs 2 and 3 of my Circular telegram D. 503 [4]).

Question of parallel declarations by the United States of America,
United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Dutch authorities
giving some form of guarantee for insular territories in the
Pacific south of the Equator was mentioned recently in discussion
between His Majesty's Ambassador and the Australian Minister at
Washington [5] with Mr. Hull and we have authorised His Majesty's
Ambassador to elucidate this proposal in further discussion with
Mr. Hull.

Question of possible visit by United States Squadron to Singapore
has also been considered by the United States authorities but, as
indicated in my Circular telegram M.64 of 5th October [6] they are
not in favour of this at present.