26th June, 1940.
Y.E.
I suggest the attached note as an aide memoire
for your talk to the President.
As*.
S&r*—
I*
fry-P^y^

7
Air Attached Office,
11th June, 1940.
Y.E.
I was informed in a private letter last week by the
Deputy Chief of the Air Staff, Air Vice-Marshal Douglas, that our
scientists had now succeeded in stabilising our automatic bomb
sight and that the results being achieved with it on our bomb
ranges were every bit as good as those claimed by the U.S. Army
and Navy for their bomb sight.   Douglas added however that he was
still anxious to have a number of U.S. bomb sights, because he was
afraid it would be some time before we could get into production
on our new stabilised automatic bomb sight.
With this information I have since then been doing a
certain amount of "lobfcying" with Senators and Congressmen, taking
the line that, as we think our sight is as $pod as theirs, there
really seems no Justification for their continuing to withhold their
sight from us; that if they don't believe us - whic h is their first
reaction, regarding the proposal as a new ruse to get their sight -
we might well be prepared to let the U.S. Air Attaches in London
examine this new sight of ours and accept their opinion as to whether
or not it is as good as the U.S. sight}   If it is agreed that it is,
we could then be permitted to order a number, which would be fitted
with a self-destroying device which General Arnold has frequently
stated is an integral part of the U.S. sight.
I was therefore very much amused to hear on the radio this
morning Walter Compton advocating the giving of the U.S. bomb sight to
the Allies.   His arguments were that it had a self-destroying device
incorporated in it and that, even if this failed to work, it would take
anyone eighteen months to two years to get it into production.   He also

¦
- 2 -
added in arguing this matter that it was understood the British
had as good a sight as the U»S. one.
to raise this matter once again with the President should a
suitable opportunity arise.   You will remember that the last time
you saw him you proposed that we might be permitted to order a
number of those sights, which he would not let us have until the
situation, in his opinion, warranted our having them.
In view of the above, it might be worth your while
WASHINGTON, D.C.
11th June, 1940.