Your telegram No. 111 of 6th May.

I should like to say how greatly we welcome this approach and how
anxious we are to give all the help we can. it is as you know our
view that Commonwealth defence will be greatly strengthened if
responsibility for research and development is shared as widely as
possible between all the countries of the Commonwealth. Your
decision makes it possible to attain this object more quickly.

2. In particular our experts would like to discuss with yours as
soon as possible an accelerated programme for the development of
guided and air launched weapons. We should also like you to
consider the design of small unmanned experimental aircraft
capable to sub-sonic speeds and eventually of super-sonic speeds.

3. A large programme in these directions would necessarily involve
research in the field of radar and particularly of radio valve
design and manufacture.

4. Further suggestions at this stage are:-

(a) The design of high velocity and short range rockets as
substitutes for field army weapons (e.g. anti-tank and field
artillery weapons). We attach great importance to this.

(b) To develop methods of rapid construction of ships particularly
of the escort vessel type.

(c) Chemical and medical research into the possibility of reducing
the bulk of essential foods.

5. In addition there are most important fields of extramural
research on which we should welcome the assistance of Australian
Universities.

6. One matter of the greatest importance to the Army is to
increase substantially the cross-country mobility of all kinds of
vehicles. We have made little progress in this direction. New
ideas are called for.

7. If these ideas appeal to you we suggest that you might send
suitable experts to this country to discuss them in detail.

Alternatively we will send experts to Australia if you prefer.

Policy can also be discussed at the meeting of the Commonwealth
Advisory Committee on defence science which we hope to hold in
London in November next. In the meantime any points of detail
which you wished to pursue might be taken up by your advisers with
Sir Henry Tizard. [1]