I saw Winston Churchill in company with [British Ambassador [1],
Canadian [2]] and South African [3] Minister[s] and Langstone, New
Zealand Cabinet Minister. [4]

Prime Minister reviewed the war situation on all fronts.

He said 'my principal task in coming here is to co-ordinate
arrangements with the United States of America by which the
control of the Pacific will be regained'.

He spoke of the United States naval reinforcement of the Pacific
from the Atlantic of which you know and hinted that further such
reinforcement over and above that now taking place was not
impossible. He spoke of the British naval reinforcement of the
Indian Ocean which is either proposed or is in train.

He spoke of the drainage of British and American supplies of tanks
and aircraft brought about by the necessity of diverting all
possible supplies to help Russia and the extremely useful results
of such diversion. He spoke of their efforts to clean up Libya as
quickly as possible which would release reinforcements for the Far
Eastern theatre.

He said (without using these exact words) that an Australian
division might possibly be spared from the Middle East for
reinforcement of the threatened area in Australia-Singapore area.

He spoke of the urgent necessity to maintain Singapore even if the
British forces were slowly driven Southward out of northern
Malaya, and of their determination to get naval, land and air
reinforcements to Malaya and Singapore by diversion from other
theatres.

He said that Wavell's [5] command had been extended to include
Burma and that Brooke-Popham [6] was being replaced at Singapore.

He said that first 2 or 3 days of his visit would be taken up with
personal discussions with the President [7] but that as soon as
possible the scope of the discussions would be widened to include
the Dominions.

Meanwhile I am having Naval Attache [8] and Goble [9] maintain as
close a touch as possible with naval and air staffs.

I left the Prime Minister's telegraphic message (your telegram
1103 [10]) personally with Churchill and identical message was
delivered to the President through Sumner Welles [11], both at
equivalent of 3.30 a.m. December 24th Australian Eastern Standard
Time.