Before replying to your telegrams 407 and 408 [1] the Prime
Minister referred them to the Chiefs of Staff for their
appreciation. Your message to the President (Johcu No. 40) [2] has
now been similarly referred. This will probably involve a few days
delay. In the meantime it is desirable that I should give you
background with regard to the three Spitfire squadrons and seek
your guidance as to the line I should pursue with the Prime
Minister in regard to paragraph 10 of your 408.

The spontaneous offer of three Spitfire squadrons was made by the
Prime Minister for reasons you set out in paragraph 9 and was a
generous response to the case made by Evatt. It was intended to be
something additional to any assignments we would be entitled to.

All aircraft, however, whether United States or United Kingdom,
fall into a common pool and are subject to assignment under
procedure laid down.

The Americans were never consulted in regard to the three Spitfire
squadrons for Australia and showed a somewhat surprising amount of
resentment in regard to it when they heard of it, and their
representatives on L.M.A.B. [3] asked that it should be recorded
that they had not been consulted.

I have no doubt the Prime Minister, although I have not yet had an
opportunity of discussing the matter with him, would accept your
interpretation of his intention, would agree that it is correctly
set out in Ismay's letter [4] and would be prepared to honour his
obligation. It is however for consideration whether our wisest
course would be to press him to do so.

The form his action would take would be to invoke the President's
aid so that [the] [5] three Spitfire squadrons would not be taken
into account in reconsideration, resulting from your message to
the President, of air requirements in southwest Pacific by the
United States Chiefs of Staff and Combined Chiefs of Staff.

It is greatly to our interest that this reconsideration should be
undertaken in the best possible atmosphere. The Prime Minister's
intervention to ensure the non-inclusion of the three Spitfire
squadrons would seriously prejudice the atmosphere and probably
result in detriment to our case.

In my opinion the right line for me to take with the Prime
Minister will be, having obtained full recognition of his
undertaking that [the] three Spitfire squadrons were additional,
to agree not to press him to take that point up with the President
if he will intervene with the President to help us in [our]
general case for increased air strength in the southwest Pacific.

Please let me have your views as soon as possible.

BRUCE