Your telegram 831. [1] Have just seen the draft of a long telegram
from the United Kingdom Government in reply. [2] This goes at
great length into the sequence of events and is an attempt[ed
justification of] [3] a bad case. The hard facts are that the
Portuguese reaction to the landing without previous consent of the
Portuguese before actual attack by the Japanese was misjudged and
the sooner this is admitted the better. I said this frankly and
urged that the long argumentative part of the telegram should be
scrapped and the hard facts of the present position put to you and
your co-operation in finding a way out invited. I doubt if this
will be done but the telegram may be divided into two parts. I
suggest that you ignore the historical recital part of the
telegram and in view of the seriousness of the situation deal with
the facts. These as I see them are:-

(a) Portuguese Timor had to be occupied;

(b) this was done by Australian and Dutch Forces with the
agreement of the United Kingdom Government;

(c) the desirability of Portuguese acquiescence recognised, and
believed that as a result of the United Kingdom-Portugal
conversations this would be forthcoming;

(d) this anticipation was wrong and the Portuguese have reacted
violently with the possibility if solution not found of breach of
relations, almost certainly with the Dutch and probably with the
United Kingdom;

(e) such a breach most undesirable at the present time
particularly in view of the secret conversations in regard to
Portuguese Atlantic Islands in the event of German invasion of
Iberian Peninsula;

(f) suggested possible solution Australian troops to replace the
Dutch in Portuguese Timor.

Points on such solution are-
(1) Can Australia provide the troops
(a) by [switching] troops with the Dutch in Timor as a whole?
(b) by sending additional forces? In considering this point the
possibility that reinforcements will be sent to Australia for the
Far East and even for Australia herself has to be borne in mind.

(2) The reaction of the Dutch. United Kingdom Government assure me
that the Netherlands Government completely agree. I have
deliberately refrained from contacting the Netherlands Government
myself. Is the attitude of the Netherlands Government shared by
the Dutch in the Far East?
(3) Would the Portuguese Government accept the solution? The
United Kingdom Government argue that probable they would but if
they did not it would strengthen the United Kingdom Government's
hands in taking a strong line. An alternative view would be that
it is a mistake for the United Kingdom to keep putting up possible
solutions to the Portuguese, but rather they should say to them we
cannot take any other course but protect ourselves against a
dangerous and treacherous foe, and follow this up by appealing to
them to give us a solution.

Personally I regret that a strong line was not taken early but
regrets are useless, the job is to find a way out and to this end
I agree that every possible solution must be explored.

In any event you can take it that there will be no weakening here
as to the necessity of defending Portuguese Timor.