My telegram D. No. 88, 18th January. [2] Civil aviation.

His Majesty's United Kingdom Ambassador, Washington, has reported
the [receipt] [3] of aide-memoire dated 26th January from the
State Department as in my first following telegram [4] (not
repeated to Canada).

2. We were greatly surprised to receive an invitation to a
Conference on a tripartite basis and have carefully considered the
resulting position. It is clearly embarrassing that the United
States Government should have invited only Canada and not the
other three Dominions who took part in the London discussions,
although, no doubt, this may be accounted for by the special
position of Canada in relation to civil aviation in North America
and on the north Atlantic.

3. More recently we have received further indications which show
that the United States Government contemplate that the Conference
should discuss matters of high policy, going beyond a preliminary
informal exploration. There are, moreover, suggestions that they
might consider extending invitations to Russia and China also. In
the light of these developments we have felt that we should make
it clear to the United States Government that we expect them to
extend the invitations to Australia, New Zealand and the Union of
South Africa. My fourth following telegram D. No. 247 [5] gives
the text of the instructions which we are sending to Lord Halifax
on this point.

4. We are sending to the United States authorities our draft
agenda as set out in my second following telegram, D. No. 246. [6]
We have also received from them and are repeating to you their
suggested outline agenda in my third following telegram, [. . .]
[7] (not repeated to Canada).