I at once discussed with Mr. Bevin your letter of the 11th
February [1] in connection with the American approach for the
continued use of certain bases established on British territory in
the Pacific.

I need not perhaps elaborate what was said at the meeting with
yourself and other Dominion representatives on February 8th with
regard to our own views as to how this matter had best be handled.

[2] We quite understand the Australian Government's feeling that
at a later stage wider defence talks in Australia would become
important and probably necessary. What we are anxious to do at the
moment, however, is to avoid, if possible, having to make
arrangements about these specific United States bases in British
territory in the Pacific, which would involve, before the Security
Council has completed its arrangements, formal agreements which
ought properly to be agreed with the Security Council. We have
certain specific United States requests to deal with which could
not be left over too long; and the purpose of the suggested talks
in Washington, as we see it, would be to persuade the Americans
away from the idea of keeping these bases as military bases in the
strict sense and converting them into civil aviation stations.

Failing this, we should wish to persuade the Americans to be
content for the present with assurances that we are not going to
run them out. In these circumstances, the Washington talks would
necessarily be purely preliminary and exploratory as well as
noncommittal, and they would not, in our view, prejudice the
prospect of any wider scheme of Pacific security which might be
agreed on later as a result of talks in Australia or anywhere
else.

In these circumstances, we feel that our only course is that we
should proceed with our proposed talks at Washington as previously
arranged, leaving open the question of wider discussions at
Canberra later, if the United States can be induced to agree to
this, and we are making arrangements accordingly.

I gather from a short exchange of views which I had with Mr.

Fraser that he would himself share these views, and I should hope
that he also would agree to participate in the Washington talks on
this basis. [3]

We should certainly very much hope that, in any such talks in
Washington, the Australian Government will feel able to be
represented.

I am sending a copy of your letter and this reply to Mr. Fraser.

ADDISON