Your telegram No.101, 19th April.

Peace Settlement with Japan.

We fully understand your preference for a meeting in Australia and
should be glad to meet your wishes if it were in any way possible.

Our position is, however, that we regard it as most important that
meeting should be held on ministerial level and at the earliest
practicable date. But it is really impossible for the Foreign
Secretary, who is the Minister primarily concerned, to be absent
again from this country for a further prolonged period at the
moment. Moreover, the Prime Minister is anxious to be closely
associated with the proposed talks and it will not be possible for
him to be away from London before the end of the present session.

My own duties in the House of Lords also make it impracticable for
me to be away before the end of the session.

We very much hope, therefore, that on further consideration you
will find it possible to arrange to be represented at a meeting in
London as suggested by us.