For the Prime Minister, Mr. Curtin.

Your telegram 37. [1]

Under the general authority given to me (in telegram 32 of March
9th [2]) I had anticipated your instructions received only this
morning, Tuesday, by yesterday informing Dulanty [3] orally 'that
the Australian Government did not see its way to intervene so as
to secure the withdrawal of the American note [4], and that the
attitude of the Australian Government was that they were in accord
with the American request that the German and Japanese
Representatives should be expelled and hoped that the Eire
Government would agree to take the action asked for in the
American note'.

You will observe that I did not make any reference to Eire
declaring la state of war with both Countries'. I made this
omission deliberately owing to the fact that the U.S.A. note did
not go as far as this nor did the United Kingdom or Canada in
their supporting representations and that I was acting without
immediate instructions and before I received a reply to my
telegram 38[A] of March 9th. [5]

In all the circumstances I suggest the wiser course would perhaps
be that this omission should not be cured and I have acted on this
assumption in the communication I have made to the United Kingdom
and the American Ambassador.

BRUCE