Your telegram No. 240, 14th September. [2]

Since Attlee's telegram of 8th September D.633 [3] as to projected
meeting of Prime Ministers in November, I have as you know had to
arrange for the meeting with Roosevelt and Stalin, which makes the
November date impracticable for me. December would however be
convenient and Smuts, who has to be back for the opening of his
new Parliament early in January, has agreed to stay on here to be
available for a meeting in December. I propose therefore that we
should try to arrange for a meeting to begin on the 7th December
and am telegraphing Mackenzie King and Fraser. As I said in the
House recently, we have now been hoping for over two years to
bring about a meeting of Prime Ministers. I feel that we have
reached a stage at which it is essential that there should be a
full discussion between the Heads of Empire Governments on
question of immediate and more distant future. All manner of
issues are coming up for decision which vitally affect the members
of the British Commonwealth as well as their relations to the
outside world in the post war set up, and the most practicable way
of reaching agreement among all concerned is to get round a table
together.

I do not underrate the difficulties which you set out in your
telegram and understand the grounds on which you would prefer the
meeting to be deferred until April. I trust, however, that what I
have said above may convince you as to the need for a meeting at
the earliest possible date and that you will be able to make it
possible to come in December if the others are also able to do so.