Your cablegram B.A.53 of 4th February. [1] Following is for
personal information of Prime Minister from the Acting Prime
Minister:-

Proposals made in your cablegram of 29th January despatched from
Singapore [2] were discussed with Chiefs of Staff. In view of your
desire that conversations at Singapore should be held at once,
Commander-in-Chief Far East was asked whether proposed
arrangements would affect his forthcoming visit to Australia or
whether he had in mind in discussions with you that conversations
would take place on his return. [3] He replied that he thought
more certain results would be assured by adhering to his original
programme to visit Australia before conversations take place at
Singapore. [4] This has been agreed to and he will be in Australia
as the guest of the Commonwealth from 8th to 18th February. Staff
conversations will commence at Singapore on 22nd February. Colvin
[5] will attend and Army and Airforce will be represented by
senior officers, for example the Deputy Chiefs of Staff, but
actual representatives not yet decided.

2. You will recall that invitation to send representatives to
Netherlands East Indies was received from Dutch and approved prior
to your departure. [6] Chiefs of Staff considered that proposed
conversations at Singapore should not affect despatch of
representatives to Netherlands East Indies. Their mission is of
exploratory nature, and instructions to them provide that no
matters of major strategy or policy are to be discussed but that
detailed information may be exchanged on various points. It is
proposed that, upon completion of discussions in Netherlands East
Indies, Service representatives should proceed to Singapore to
furnish information for the purposes of the broader discussions
there. War Cabinet has approved of above proposals [7] and
representatives will leave for Netherlands East Indies on 7th
February.