Pacific Islands (certain) 348/
MO
BRITISH BRASSY,
UkUXMfOV, D# C
March 1st, 1940
No. 213
My Lord,
I have the honour to report that on
February 19th Representative Tinkham of Massachusetts
released to the press an exchange of letters between
himself and iir. Hackworth, Legal Adviser to the
3tate   epart.aent, regarding the Anglo-United states
agreement on Canton and Mnderbury Islands,
2. ar. Tinkham is a rich and elderly eccentric
who has represented for .iiany years a partly Irish
district of Boston and rarely misses an opportunity
of "twisting the lion's tail".    In this case he had
conceived an idea that the agreement for the joint
use of Canton and onderbury Islands masked a secretly
negotiated alliance between Orcat Britain and the
United states since the United states would be jointly
responsible for the defence of the islands should
they be attacked.    His suspicions were deepened by
the fact that the exchange of notes of the Qth
April| 1939 provided that the two governments might
agree to use the islands not only for civil aviation
but "for any other purposef» and he asked why the
uiatter had been settled by secret negotiation rother
than by arbitration, ''the classic iaethod of settling
disputed territorial ownership".    He apparently wrote
to the otete i>epartaent on July 10th last de.aanding
to see the correspondence an the wetter but was
informed/
The Right honourable
The Viscount Halifax, K.G. ,
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etc
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etc.
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FRHM.'FKO :ACEM :DH
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infortoed by Mr. Hackworth on July i36tl: that it
"coul   not bo made available for your ins. ection
without the consent of the British Government", Mr.
Hackworth added that it did not in any case amplify
or modify in any .-ray the information contained in the
State Department's two press releases on the subject.
3. .'Jr. Tinkham waited until December 1st
before replying that "the apparent desire to conceal
the true facts in this matter would seem clearly to
support a charge of secret diplomacy", and wound up
with the conclusion that "there should be an
independent and thorough examination of the transaction
in question by the Congress*.    He then waited another
two and a half months and finally imblished these
two letters, prefaced by a long statement of his
suspicions, heading it "•Congressman Oeorge Holden
Tinkham charges that in 1939 the United State ; made
a secret alliance with Great Britain in the Pacific,
that this alliance led to the denunciation of the
treaty with Japan early this year, and now threatens
Unit-d itates involvement in war in the !iast". This
attempt to create a scare and cabarrass the
Administration appears to have fallen very flat. Ur.
Hull declined to disease it at his press conference,
saying that "the exchange of notes was frank and
unreserved eind that was all there was to If. I
hsve seen no further reference to the matter and
indeed ...r. Vinkham is not taken seriously by the
responGibie press.
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4. Actually, however, I understand that the
State Department did in fact intend to let Mr.
Tinkham see the correspondence   rivately in order
to keep him quiet but they forgot to tell him so
and, as he always suspects them of being under
British influence, this is his idea of revenge,
fi. I am sending copies-^6f this despatch to
the Governor Genernl ofyf(ew Zealand and the High
Commissioners for the United Kingdom in Australia
and New Zealand^
I have the honour to be,
with the highest respect,
Uy Lord,
Your Lordship's most obedient,
humble servant,
(30D) LOTHIAN