Scope and Contents Prime Minister's printed personal minutes, January and February 1942. Some written by WSC when in the United States.Includes texts of minutes from WSC (annotated with additional printed information) to: Major-General Leslie Hollis [Military Assistant Secretary to the War Cabinet]; Lord Halifax [earlier Edward Wood and Lord Irwin, British Ambassador to the United States]; the Chiefs of Staff; members of the Cabinet and other government ministers; General Sir Hastings Ismay [Chief of Staff to...

Scope and Contents Prime Minister's printed personal minutes, April 1942.Includes texts of minutes from WSC (annotated with additional printed information) to: General Sir Hastings Ismay [Chief of Staff to the Minister of Defence]; members of the Cabinet and other government ministers; the Chiefs of Staff.Subjects covered by the minutes include: the Japanese threat to the Falkland Islands; discussion of operation "Ironclad" [code name for British occupation of Diego Suarez, Madagascar]; the British naval...

Scope and Contents Prime Minister's printed personal minutes, May 1942.Includes texts of minutes from WSC (annotated with additional printed information) to: members of the Cabinet and other government ministers; the Chiefs of Staff; General Sir Hastings Ismay [Chief of Staff to the Minister of Defence].Subjects covered by the minutes include: aircraft production; bombing policy; operation "Ironclad" in Madagascar; the availability of ammunition for the Home Guard; naval operations in the Indian Ocean;...

Scope and Contents Prime Minister's printed personal minutes, June 1942.Includes texts of minutes from WSC (annotated with additional printed information) to: General Sir Hastings Ismay [Chief of Staff to the Minister of Defence]; the Chiefs of Staff; members of the Cabinet and other government ministers; Sir Edward Bridges [Secretary to the War Cabinet].Subjects covered by the minutes include: discussion of proposed operations against Germany in northern Norway ("Jupiter"), Spitsbergen ("Jackpot") and France...

Scope and Contents Prime Minister's printed personal minutes, July and August 1942. Some written by WSC when in the Middle East.Includes texts of minutes from WSC (annotated with additional printed information) to: members of the Cabinet and other government ministers; the Chiefs of Staff; General Sir Hastings Ismay [Chief of Staff to the Minister of Defence]; Major-General Leslie Hollis [Military Assistant Secretary to the War Cabinet]; Sir Edward Bridges [Secretary to the War Cabinet].Subjects covered by the...

Scope and Contents Prime Minister's printed personal minutes, October 1942.Includes texts of minutes from WSC (annotated with additional printed information) to: members of the Cabinet and other government ministers; senior civil servants, including Sir Edward Bridges [Secretary to the War Cabinet]; General Sir Hastings Ismay [Chief of Staff to the Minister of Defence]; the Chiefs of Staff; Lieutenant-Colonel Ian Jacob [Military Assistant Secretary to the War Cabinet].Subjects covered by the minutes include:...

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Telegram from the Prime Minister of Australia, John Curtin, to WSC rejecting the decision by the Chiefs of Staff to have separate Indian and Pacific fleets to face the superior Japanese fleet.

Scope and Contents Telegram from WSC to the Prime Minister of Australia [John Curtin] enclosing a directive sent to General Sir Archibald Wavell [Commander-in-Chief, India and Supreme Commander, South West Pacific] on definition of the "ABDA" [Australian, British, Dutch and Australasian] strategic area, forces available to Wavell and policy encompassing Burma [later Myanmar], Australia, Malaya [later Malaysia], the Dutch East Indies [later Indonesia] and the Philippines, against Japan; outlines...

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Telegram from WSC to the Prime Minister of Australia [John Curtin] on subjects including: defining the command area of General Sir Archibald Wavell [Commander-in-Chief, India and Supreme Commander, South West Pacific] as not including Australia or New Zealand, or their communications with the United States; the responsibilities of the United States Navy; the spread of resources between the Middle East and Malaya [later Malaysia].

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Telegram from WSC to the Prime Minister of Australia [John Curtin] relaying note by the 1st Sea Lord [Admiral of the Fleet Sir Dudley Pound] on the inadvisability of Allied combined fleet engaging Japanese Fleet in Pacific, in aftermath of Pearl Harbor [United States] attack, where Japan has air superiority.

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Telegram from the Prime Minister of Australia [John Curtin] to WSC rejecting the definition by the Chiefs of Staff of the Australian area as Australia, New Guinea [parts of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea], Bismarck Archipelago, Solomon Islands, New Hebrides [Vanuatu] and Fiji, and the view that this area should be excluded from the protection of the United States fleet; favours the Pacific area instead.

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Telegram from WSC to General Sir Archibald Wavell, Commander- in-Chief, India [and Supreme Commander, South West Pacific], advising he should set up his headquarters in Java [Dutch East Indies, later Indonesia] as also advised by the United States.

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Telegram from WSC to [Alfred] Duff Cooper, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster [and Resident Cabinet Minister at Singapore for Far Eastern affairs, later 1st Lord Norwich] recalling him to Britain, via Java [Dutch East Indies, later Indonesia] to liaise with General Sir Archibald Wavell, Supreme Commander, South West Pacific.

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Telegram from the Prime Minister of Australia [John Curtin] to the Dominions Office outlining requirements for Australian representation on councils formulating Pacific strategy.

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Telegram from WSC to the Prime Minister of New Zealand [Peter Fraser] on United States naval responsibility for south-western Pacific; regrets not consulting Fraser more fully; also includes covering note by John Peck [Assistant Private Secretary to WSC].

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Telegram from WSC to General Sir Archibald Wavell, Supreme Commander, South West Pacific, on combat in Malayan Peninsula [later Malaysia]; approves of general conduct but suggests submarines be used to frustrate Japanese penetration movements up rivers. [See CHAR 20/68A/55 for reply].

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Telegram from WSC to the Prime Minister of Australia [John Curtin] on the co-ordination of defence between Britain, the United States, Australia and New Zealand, including the need to incorporate the United States contribution into the south western Pacific, and the defence of Australia itself; Australian, New Zealander and Dutch representatives will report via London to Washington until a Supreme Commander has been appointed.

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Telegram from General Sir Archibald Wavell [Supreme Commander, South West Pacific] to WSC responding to T 33/2 [CHAR 20/ 68 A/47]; Dutch submarines already in use in Malaya [later Malaysia].

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Telegram from the Prime Minister of New Zealand [Peter Fraser] to WSC thanking him for essential arms and equipment for the defence of Fiji and New Zealand.

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Telegram from the Prime Minister of Australia, John Curtin, to WSC urging air-borne reinforcement of Malaya [later Malaysia] before the 8th Australian Division fight a decisive battle against the Japanese.

Scope and Contents Telegram from the Prime Minister of New Zealand [Peter Fraser] to WSC reviewing recent developments, including: an anticipated German attack in North Africa; the feeling that Britain is less concerned with the Pacific than with Europe; WSC's discussions with the President of the United States, Franklin Roosevelt; the definition of South West Pacific; the division of the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean into different theatres; the need for naval supremacy against Japan which has already...

Scope and Contents Telegram from [Alfred] Duff Cooper [Resident Cabinet Minister at Singapore for Far Eastern affairs and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, later 1st Lord Norwich] to WSC and the Secretary of State for the Colonies [1st Lord Moyne, earlier Walter Guinness] on a lack of confidence in the local administration: suggests Major-General Keith Simmons, Fortress Commander, be appointed as military governor, supported by Brigadier Simson, Director General of Civil Defence, and that Hugh Fraser...

Scope and Contents Telegram from General Sir Archibald Wavell [Supreme Commander, South West Pacific] to WSC with impressions of personalities in Batavia [later Djakarta, Java, Dutch East Indies, later Indonesia]: Hart, [Admiral Thomas Hart, United States Admiral in the Pacific], Palliser [? Rear-Admiral Arthur Palliser, Chief of Staff to Commander- in-Chief, Eastern Fleet], Brett [Lieutenant-General George Brett, Commander of Allied air forces, Dutch East Indies], General Hein ter Poorten [Commander-in-Chief,...

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Telegram from the Prime Minister of Australia [John Curtin] to WSC asking for confirmation of press statement that General Sir Archibald Wavell will command United States and British land operations in the Pacific whilst Admiral King [? Admiral Ernest King, United States Navy] will command the combined navies.

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Telegram from General Sir Archibald Wavell [Supreme Commander, South West Pacific] to WSC on defence of Batavia [later Djakarta, Java, Dutch East Indies, later Indonesia] against Japanese attack across Johore Straits.