740.0011 Pacific War/1
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Secretary of State
The British Ambassador and the Australian Minister called at their own request. The British Ambassador referred to my recent inquiry of him as to what, if anything, was being said by representatives of such countries as Australia, New Zealand, Dutch East Indies [Page 168] and Singapore with regard to the nature and extent of the defensive forces of each country and what they would amount to in the aggregate. I replied that I had not suggested that my own country be in on this conference, for the reason that no purpose in that particular matter could be served, adding that the total nature and extent of these combined forces would in any event be available to this Government.
The Ambassador then suggested a conference of representatives of each government, including a naval expert of this Government, in London. I made the same reply as the above. The matter was finally left open, with my statement that it would be better for his Government to contact the experts or representatives of the above-named countries.
We then went over the recent line of discussion pertaining to the close relations between Germany, Japan and Italy with the further probability that Germany, by persuasion or threat or both, would see that Russia is kept off Japan in Asia, while Germany is causing the French Government at Vichy to agree to Japanese occupation of Indochina, et cetera. I then repeated our policy of aiding Britain all we could, while at the same time following the Far Eastern situation by a succession of words and acts, short of intending to become engaged in war in the East. The Ambassador, and so far as I observed, the Minister of Australia, were not disposed to take issue with the foregoing during the discussion.