Your 2649. [1] Everything in human power has been and will be done
to strengthen our Air Force in the Middle East. The first part of
the JAGUAR operation [2] already completed. Second part starts
this morning. We hope to have reasonable air superiority for the
first time in approaching operations in the Western Desert. As you
well know, the difficulty of air reinforcements of the Middle East
is not supply of aeroplanes here nor the wish to send them but
delay round the Cape and the limited capacity of short cuts T and
M. [3] Nevertheless in May well over 1,000 were simultaneously
moving along various routes thither. The process is continuing.

2. The difficulty of defending Crete did not arise so much through
shortage of aircraft but from absence of well defended air fields
within fighter range.

3. The country you mention in the fourth paragraph [4] will be
occupied at the earliest with such forces as we can find. It is
only when we have secured airfields there that an advance into
[Cyprus] [5] in strength will be possible and by then it may well
be too late. We can only do our best.

Evacuation of Crete is proceeding with success, over 11,000 having
already reached Alexandria. Continuance of resistance there
without air support would have jeopardized the naval position in
the Mediterranean.

All of the above is MOST SECRET.