Your secret telegram of 21st November [1]: The questions raised by
you concerning the despatch of an overseas force have been
considered by my colleagues and myself Acting on advice received
from the United Kingdom Government and from our delegate at the
Ministerial Conference in London [2], we have decided to send the
first echelon of our special force overseas, and on the day before
your telegram was received had so informed the United Kingdom
Government. I had intended to inform you and the other Dominion
Prime Ministers of our action today as soon as the time of
publication between the United Kingdom and ourselves had been
arranged.

I fully appreciate the difficulties with which you are faced in
Australia. Our particular problems are, I think, of a different
nature. On account of our limited training facilities and lack of
modem equipment it is not possible for us to train more than one
echelon at a time. We decided to send the first body overseas as
soon after their elementary training is completed as transport and
naval escort facilities are available in order to make room for
the next body and also to enable the men to complete their
training on modem equipment which we do not possess. Moreover, we
feel that the retention of our voluntary system of recruiting is
to some extent dependent on the knowledge and the fact that the
men win serve overseas.

I regret that your telegram did not come earlier to enable
discussions to take place, but I had assumed that the matter was
one of common arrangement with our Ministers in London. [3] I
would be greatly obliged if you would keep this information secret
until advised by us of the date of publication.

May I assure you that no troops will leave New Zealand until we
are completely satisfied that any possible danger of attack by any
force is eliminated, and our communications to the United Kingdom
have strongly emphasised this condition. [4]

PRIME MINISTER