File No. 763.72/6487

The British Embassy to the Department of State

Memorandum

With reference to the memorandum of the Department of State of August 15th and to previous correspondence regarding the arrangements to be made for the passage of Australian and New Zealand troops through the Panama Canal, the British Embassy has received instructions from London to ascertain whether the United States authorities would be able to arrange hospital accommodation at Panama for invalids from the transports carrying these troops and could also provide for the replenishment of medical stores. Should it be considered preferable, however, and should there be no objection thereto, the Australian Government would be ready to establish a temporary hospital at Panama.

An early reply would be appreciated as the matter is one of some urgency.1

  1. An attached memorandum by the Assistant Secretary of State, dated Aug. 29, reads in part that “the British Embassy has been orally informed that the question of hospital accommodations is to be left to the requirements of each shipload. In other words, when a British transport arrives in Panama the Embassy is to be informed of what is needed, whereupon the Secretary of War, as an act of humanity, will issue the necessary instructions to the Zone authorities. In this way the Department feels that the proclamation of neutrality need not be modified to meet the British needs.”