Pacific Air Routes
As you know the question of our granting landing rights in
Australia to Pan American Airways has been the subject of many
representations on behalf of Pan American and has frequently been
referred to by State Department. According to instructions I have
always replied that Australian landing rights are dependent on
reciprocal landing rights at Hawaii being granted when requested.

There are signs that our standing fast on this attitude is having
the effect of magnifying the whole question and is quite possibly
doing us harm in other and more important directions.

Whilst subject as such has not been officially raised with me
lately our virtual refusal to reopen the question has been brought
into conversation on more important matters by Secretary of State
[1] and Sumner Welles [2] and by less senior officials with Watt.

[3] Implication has clearly been that whilst we are seeking very
wholehearted American co-operation in certain future eventualities
at the same time we steadily refuse to grant landing rights in
Australia despite their importance from a defence point of view.

It is not put as bluntly as this but there is no doubt as to the
meaning.

Compared with the great issues that are at stake I submit that
this matter is relatively trivial and I strongly suggest that in
the present emergency it would be wise for the Commonwealth
Government to reopen and give favourable consideration to this
matter after necessary consultation with the United Kingdom and
New Zealand Governments.

New Zealand would no doubt want to ensure the continuance of the
Pan American fortnightly call at Auckland. I suggest offering
alternate fortnightly landing at Brisbane or Sydney direct from
Noumea, i.e., Pan American to continue present fortnightly service
to Auckland and to interpolate another service between United
States and Australia direct via Noumea, Australia, Auckland on
alternate weeks if thought necessary; landing rights in Australia
could be limited to definite period after termination of the war,
their continuation thereafter being made conditional upon the
granting of reciprocal landing rights in Hawaii and California. A
generous gesture on our part might in my opinion produce valuable
results in other important directions.

In any event we cannot want reciprocal landing rights until after
this war. When we emerge successfully from this war I am inclined
to believe that America will have no scruples in granting us
landing rights in Hawaii and denying them to Japan. In this
connection I think it significant that the United States has
freely co-operated in facilitating the flight delivery of
Catalinas across the Pacific even though this involves entry of
Australian airmen into Pearl Harbour. [4]

CASEY