Personal for the Minister from the Minister.

1. Your comment in 404 [1] on Admiral King [2] has the same
meaning and is in many respects verbatim with a telegram from the
Joint Staff Mission to Churchill contained in 294. [3]

2. Please inform us immediately whether your 404 document is the
source of the Joint Staff Mission telegram or vice versa: or what
is the common source of both. [4]

3. Unfortunately your comment in 404 might impede the immediate
adoption of the Joint Australian-New Zealand plan in relation to
Anzac area. Further the comments seem rather derogatory to Admiral
King. However, if it were desired the Australian-New Zealand plan
could be modified to retain general jurisdiction in King in
relation to naval forces. In any case he would retain power in
Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee.

4. The Australian-New Zealand plan includes:

(a) Anzac Council at Washington,
(b) Supreme Commander over land, air and naval forces in enlarged
Anzac area including territories of Australia and New Zealand,
(c) Enlargement of Chiefs of Staff Committee for Anzac purposes to
include representatives of Australia and New Zealand.

5. Its adoption appears to the Prime Ministers of the two
Governments [5] as matter of overriding urgency.

6. Please discuss this cable at once with Frankfurter [6] to whom
I have wired an urgent personal message. [7]

EVATT